Hermione's Hero
by Gwen Potter
Summary: ::COMPLETED, and apparently, AU:: George saves Hermione's life, and they begin to realize how they feel about each other. Chapter 15: True Love!
1. Falling

Disclaimer- Do you think that I'd be posting here if I owned Harry Potter? Well, I don't. If someone wanted to work on my Christmas present, though…

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Hermione's Hero

Chapter 1: Falling

It was another pleasantly warm summer day at the Burrow. Harry had come to stay with the Weasleys, as he did every summer. He had turned fifteen a few days beforehand, and this was turning out to be a very good summer, despite the looming threat of an attack from Voldemort. A few weeks ago, he finally asked Ginny out, and he couldn't have been happier. He had been feeling something different for her for a couple of months, and once he had realized what those feelings were, he acted upon them. He and Ginny were an official couple now. Hermione was also staying at the Burrow, which she did most every summer. He, Hermione, Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny were all outside playing Quidditch. Well, Hermione wasn't playing, because she didn't like to fly. She wasn't very good, but she always liked to watch her friends playing. Once again, Ron was trying to convince her to come and fly with them.

"Mione, come on, nothing will happen!" he assured her.

Hermione took a long, deep sigh, and said, "Fine, Ron. If I fly with you for a little bit, will you leave me alone about it for the rest of the year?"

"Certainly," he told her as he landed. Harry watched as Ron helped Hermione onto his broomstick, and, once she was settled, gently rose into the air.

"Not too high, okay?" she said nervously.

"Don't worry, I've got you," Ron said. They flew for a few minutes, much higher than Hermione was comfortable with, until Harry saw a dreadful sight: Hermione was falling off of Ron's broom.

******

"Come on, Mione, you can't possibly tell me that you don't find this fun, can you?" Ron asked over his shoulder.

"Well, it is kind of cool. But I still don't like it," Hermione said, looking uneasily at the zooming people below her. She still didn't like the idea of being so high in the air, with so far to fall before you could hit the ground. She shifted on the broomstick, and the unthinkable happened. She fell towards the ground, with nothing to stop her progress. Hermione closed her eyes to brace herself for the impending pain, when, miraculously, she felt someone catch her. She slowly opened her eyes, to see who it was that had saved her life. She looked up into a set of concerned green-brown eyes looking down at her worriedly. "George," she said before promptly passing out.

******

(A/N- Hi everyone! I had some requests for a novel-length fic, and I thought I'd post this. It is my first George/Hermione fic, and I consider it my baby. It is still a work in progress. I have the first SEVERAL chapters written already, though, so nobody has to worry about me not posting new chapters for quite a while. Thanx to everyone who reviewed my other twins/Hermione fics, The Camping Trip and I Miss You. Please let me know what you guys think of this, okay? I love getting reviews, and I would like to get suggestions and stuff like that. Also, if you guys could give me ideas for the title, I'd really appreciate it. I have never been any good with that kind of stuff.)


	2. Recoveries, Realizations, and Invitation...

Disclaimer- I still don't own Harry Potter(sniffle).

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Hermione's Hero

Chapter 2: Recoveries, Realizations, and Invitations

"Is she okay?" asked a nervous voice.

"I think so, dear. She had a great scare, and she just passed out from shock. She'll be awake soon. Now go on, let me tend to her," another voice told the first one. Hermione didn't want to open her eyes for fear of the pounding headache that she now felt, but she didn't have to so she could know whom the voices belonged to. The first one was Ron, and the second was Mrs. Weasley. Hermione remembered the incident outside now, and sat up straight. She had been flying with Ron, and suddenly she had lost her balance and fallen. She was certain she'd die upon impact, when, suddenly, she stopped falling. She had looked up to see George, whom had caught her. Hermione opened her eyes now, looking around the room gingerly.

"Oh, she's awake!" Ginny said as she turned back around at the door. Everyone else had left, presumably to let her rest, but now they all came back in quickly. It had been Ginny, Harry, Ron, Fred, George and Mrs. Weasley in there with her.

"How are you, Mione?" Harry asked her. She noticed that he and Ginny were holding hands.

"A little woozy, but I'm fine," she told them. Her head was pounding, and she rubbed her eyes. When she looked at George, her stomach felt a little funny as well.

"Mione, I am so sorry," Ron told her, giving her a big hug, "This was all my fault. If I hadn't made you fly, you never would have fallen."

"It's not your fault, Ron. I just lost my balance, that's all," she reassured him.

"Okay, everyone out, I will let you all come see her later," Mrs. Weasley said as she ushered everyone out.

"Honestly, Mum, you're worse than Madame Pomfrey," Hermione heard Ginny say as they left. Mrs. Weasley turned her attention to Hermione, giving her a large, smelly potion to drink. As soon as the liquid had made its way down her throat, she fell back into a warm, comfortable sleep.

******

The next day, Mrs. Weasley allowed Hermione to have breakfast with everyone else, but she only allowed her liquids. She silently sat sipping a cup of soup broth, bearing the frequent "Are you okay?" questions from everyone. Afterwards, she sat down in the Weasley's living room to read, when George came in.

"How are you?" he asked her quietly. She noticed that George had been trying to act more demure around her since yesterday, most likely because he knew of her pounding headache.

"I'm great, thanks to you," she told him, moving some books to let him sit down by her. When he had, she gave him a big hug, and said, "Thank you so much." Hermione noticed that he had a bruise on his left forearm, and asked, "What happened to your arm?"

"Oh, I just banged it on my broom a little when I was trying to get to you," George said, blushing slightly. He looked down at his shoes, not meeting her gaze. "It was nothing," he added.

"Thank you so much," she told him, "You saved my life. I owe you for that."

"Well I don't know…," he said, his ears going red as well. "Hmm, he's kind of cute," Hermione thought to herself. "Wait, what did I just think? Did I just think that George is cute?" she thought further.

"Okay, um, I've got to go talk to Fred. Another meeting of the board of trustees of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, you know?" George said. He smiled at her, a weird look on his face, and walked quickly up the stairs.

Thinking to herself, Hermione once again wondered what on earth could have possessed her to think that George looked cute. "But he did look cute, the way he was smiling. And the way his freckles looked with a bit of a blush," her inner voice argued. She remembered the smile he'd had on his face. He looked a little… different. More like a guy than just her best friend's brother. Hermione shook her head to clear her thoughts, and turned her attention back to her book.

******

George sunk himself down on his bed, staring at the wall with a puzzled look on his face. Hermione had looked different somehow, like he'd seen her in a whole new light. He had always found her kind of attractive, for a girl that was two years younger, not to mention his little brother's best friend, but he'd felt strange when she looked at him just now. He looked at the wall intently for a while, not noticing when the door opened and his twin brother came in.

"Hey, you okay?" Fred asked him when he noticed the look on George's face.

"I'm just tired," George lied, hoping that he was giving off the vibe of wanting to be by himself, and that he especially didn't want to talk about what it really was.

"Right," Fred said, eyeing his sibling skeptically, "Anyways, just wanted to get that letter I wrote to Angelina off. Then I'll leave you alone." Fred grabbed an envelope off of his desk, then slowly backed out of the room. George glared after him, then turned back to the wall.

"Why do I feel all… weird?" he wondered silently. "Probably just because you saved her life, nitwit," he thought hastily, turning to stare out the window. A small voice in the back of his head added, "Or maybe it's something else."

******

After dinner, Hermione was in the kitchen doing the dishes with George and Ginny. It was quite warm, and they had been working for a while.

"Okay, the dishes are all washed. Do you guys think you could dry them without me?" Ginny asked.

"I think we could manage, Gin," Hermione told her as she wiped her forehead.

"Yeah, go ahead and make out with your loverboy," George joked. Ginny glared at him, then stomped out of the kitchen into the garden.

"Is it just me, or are they really gross?" Hermione asked him as she watched Ginny sit down by Harry out the window.

"Believe me, it's not your imagination," George told her, "I mean, for the past couple of weeks, they've done nothing but stay attached to each other's faces."

"Yeah, I noticed that too," she told him. During dinner, she and Ron had had quite the time making disgusted faces at them from across the table.

"I think they figured out some way to survive without oxygen or something," he said with a false serious face. She laughed, and he did the same.

"Well, it looks like we're done here. Do you want something to drink?" he asked as he put the last plate into the cabinet.

"Sure," she replied, tossing her damp dishtowel onto the counter. He handed her a bottle of butterbeer, and the two of them sprawled out in chairs around the kitchen table.

"Man, it's hot in here," he told her, taking a long drink from his own bottle.

"It sure is," she replied, leaning back in her chair. "So, what new stuff have you and Fred been working on?"

"Well, there are some new trick sweets, like this one that turns your hair green, and a few other things, but we haven't done too much this summer. Yet," he added.

"That's cool," she told him, "But I wouldn't want to get the one that turns your hair green. It's not my color."

"Oh, but I think it is. It would bring out the lovely brown in your eyes," he said, grinning. She blushed, and looked away from his face. An awkward silence fell over them, and Hermione was very grateful to have Ron, Harry, and Ginny walk in at that moment. The three of them sat down with them, complaining about the bugs outside.

"There must be a million mosquitoes out there," Ginny griped as she rubbed her itchy arms. Fred came in a moment later, holding a piece of parchment and an envelope, grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh, yes," he said, unfolding the paper, "Angelina's having a beach party this Saturday. Any takers?"

"Oh, cool, I'm in," George said. Everyone around the table chorused their consent.

"Okay, I'll check with Mum and write to Angelina to expect all of us, then," Fred said, stuffing the parchment back into it's envelope and heading back out of the kitchen.

"Hermione, come on, we've go to get prepared!" Ginny said urgently, grabbing Hermione's hand. The two girls ran eagerly up the stairs, and on the way, heard one of the boys saying, "Honestly, it's only Wednesday!" Once in Ginny's room, they immediately began sorting through their clothes for appropriate outfits.

"Okay, I think we need to do some major shopping for bathing suits, because I am not liking the shape mine is in," Ginny said as she picked up a red one piece that was the exact color of her fiery hair.

"Yeah, me too," Hermione said, thinking of her own blue suit that was two years old.

Mrs. Weasley poked her head into the room then, and said, "Girls, Fred told me about the beach party. Do you need to go shopping tomorrow?"

"If we could, Mum," Ginny said, showing her mother the suit she had in her hands.

"Okay, girls, we'll go at about 10:00 tomorrow morning," Mrs. Weasley informed them. Hermione and Ginny went through their clothes for a half an hour, before finally giving up, finding it hopeless unless they had their bathing suits to help them find an appropriate beach outfit.

******

(A/N- What did you guys think of that one? I know, there really isn't any romance yet, and I apologize, but there will be some very soon. Next chapter- The Beach Party! Thanx again for reviewing!)


	3. The Beach Party

Disclaimer- Nope, still don't own it. When I take over the world, though…

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Hermione's Hero

Chapter 3: The Beach Party

"Come on, hurry up!" Ron called irritably on Saturday morning. They were supposed to have left five minutes ago, but the girls were holding them up.

"Give us five minutes," Ginny called back from behind the closed door of her bedroom. They had found bathing suits, but had refused to show the guys, saying that it was a surprise.

"We'll give you three!" Fred told them. The twins, Ron, and Harry were all standing in the hallway outside of Ginny's room, waiting for she and Hermione to get ready, and they were getting impatient.

A moment later, Hermione said, "Okay, we're ready!" The door opened and the two girls came out, smiling. Harry tried his hardest to look upset, but when Ginny gave him her patent puppy dog eyes he practically melted. He slung his arm around her shoulder, kissing her cheek.

"You know, it's about time, we were going to leave without you," Ron told Hermione, and she gaped at him angrily until she saw the 'I'm just joking' grin on his face. She slapped his arm playfully, and he jokingly cowered down. "Ow, you Amazon! I now feel almost sorry for Malfoy right after you slapped him," Ron teased, making Hermione glare at him.

"You slapped Malfoy?" George asked her in amazement.

"Well, he was asking for it," Hermione said defensively. Fred and George got to their knees and bowed.

"Dear Queen, we worship you!" Fred joked. "Always thought that little git deserved some kind of a blow." Hermione was now a lovely shade of deep red, looking everywhere but at the two boys who were now kissing her feet.

"I thought we were late," Ginny remarked, saving Hermione from the joking adoration.

"Right, let's go," Fred said, standing up. They walked to the Weasley's new car, which they had bought a few weeks prior to the end of the last school term. They put all of their bags and things in the trunk, Hermione and Ginny's taking up surprisingly more room than the four boys put together. Fred took the driver's seat, with George in the passenger's, and Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny climbed in back. They drove for about ten minutes, when Fred suddenly pulled off the road. He and George turned around to look at the four in the back seat, and Fred asked, "I don't suppose any of you would be against us getting there a bit earlier than expected, right?"

"What do you mean? Are you trying to take a dangerous shortcut, or something?" Ginny asked apprehensively.

"Nothing like that, dear sister," George assured her, "But Dad did happen to add a few… extra features to the car."

"Such as?" Ron asked.

"Oh, just the usual. Shape booster, invisibility, _cough*flying*cough_. You know, the usual," Fred said casually.

In the backseat, Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny looked at each other skeptically for a moment, then smiled and nodded, "Go ahead."

"Okay, here we go!" George said. He pushed the button for invisibility, and Fred opened a special compartment. He tapped it once with his wand, and the car suddenly launched up into the air. They arrived at Angelina's party about a half-hour before they had expected to, and were surprised to see quite so many guests already. They pulled down and took off the invisibility spell, parking with a bunch of other cars. They grabbed their things from the trunk and hurried over to everyone.

"There you are!" Angelina called as she spotted them. Fred kissed her quickly, then glared at his snickering brothers, turning back to his girlfriend.

"Hey, I'm so glad to see you! How have you been?" he asked.

"I've been great," she replied, and turned to talk to the rest of them as well, "Okay, the changing tents are over there, girls on the right, boys on the left. There's plenty of food and drinks over there, and there'll be music once my dad gets the spells right."

"Okay, let's go get changed. Could you guys put out our chairs and stuff?" Hermione asked excitedly, grabbing Ginny's hand. The boys were all already in their suits; they had just put on shirts to go with them. Fred wandered off with Angelina, leaving the others behind. They laid out the chairs and towels they had brought, and sat back for a moment.

A few moments later, George asked, "Ah, isn't this the life? Just kicking back on the beach, looking at girls." He was eyeing a group of sixth year girls who were playing volleyball, not as interested in the outcome of the game as the girls who were playing it.

"It sure is," Ron told him, looking over to where his brother's gaze was fixated.

Harry snorted, and looked over to the changing tents, hoping Ginny would come out soon. He saw an unfamiliar, yet beautiful girl exiting them. She was dressed in a black halterkini, with a see-through black wrap around her waist. She was wearing dark sunglasses, and her hair, which was pulled up in a clip, was reflecting the sunlight brightly. "Who is that?" he asked the other guys. She looked familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on who it was.

"Whoa, whoever she is, she looks really good," George said, stunned. The girl was approaching them, and Harry was very curious to see who it was. He was perfectly happy with only looking at Ginny, but he really wanted to know who it was. He had the sneaking suspicion that he knew her.

"Hey guys," the girl said in a very familiar voice.

"Hermione!?!" Ron asked.

"That would be me," she said as she took off her sunglasses. She twirled around, and asked, "What do you think?"

"Uh, very nice," George told her, busying himself with a bottle of sunblock. Hermione blushed very slightly, looking down at the ground.

"Yeah, you look great, Mione," Ron told her. She smiled at them, then settled herself down in her chair while putting back on her sunglasses, leaning back to get some sun. Harry looked back towards the changing tents, and saw Ginny. She was wearing a light purple bikini, with a dark wrap around her own waist.

"Hey, you look great," he told her, kissing her cheek. She settled down in her chair beside Hermione's, opting to get sun as well.

"Would you get me a drink, Harry?" Ginny asked sweetly.

"Yeah, sure," he told her, "Anyone else want one?"

"I'd take something," Hermione said, peering up at him from behind her sunglasses.

"Me too," Ron told him. Harry was beginning to wish he hadn't asked.

"I'll give you a hand, Harry," George offered, standing up. They walked over to the drinks, grabbing five of them between them both.

"Thanks," Ginny said as Harry handed her a drink. He sat back down by her, sipping his own drink. George handed one to Hermione, and she blushed as she thanked him. After a while, George left with Fred and Lee to torment the seventh year girls, and Harry and Ron went off to hang out with Seamus, Dean, and Neville.

When they were alone, Ginny asked, "So what was that when George gave you that drink?"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked her.

"You blushed. Do you fancy him or something?" Ginny asked.

"What? No!" Hermione said quickly. "Well, maybe a little," she added, and Ginny barely caught it.

Ginny giggled, and said, "You know, I think he fancies you a bit, as well."

"Oh, yeah, I'm really sure," Hermione said sarcastically.

"No, seriously, I think he does," Ginny assured her, "He has been acting strangely with you, and he has been staring at you when you aren't looking. I mean, I know how my brother acts around girls that he likes, and he was definitely acting that way around _you_."

"Do you think…?" Hermione asked, staring off into space. "Never mind."

"So, do you want to go in the water for a bit?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, let's do that," Hermione said, standing up. They left behind their things and headed for the water, pointing out cute guys.

******

Later that afternoon, the music had gotten going, and Hermione really wanted to dance. They were playing all kinds of music, including some of her favorite muggle songs. Ginny had even convinced Harry to dance a slow song with her a few minutes ago, and Hermione really wished someone would ask her. Ron was off with Harry and Ginny, getting food, and she half-smiled at a redheaded someone who walked over to her.

"Hey, what's up?" George asked as he sat down by her. He had put a shirt back on with his swimming trunks, but he had left it unbuttoned. "Odd," she thought to herself, "He didn't burn today. With that fair skin, who'd've thought that was possible."

"I'm bored," Hermione informed him, sighing loudly.

"You wouldn't want to dance, would you?" he asked her suddenly. He extended his hand to her, and she smiled as she accepted. She had put a pair of Capri pants on, but hadn't bothered to change into a shirt, leaving her halterkini top on, which, she thought, was a great outfit to dance in. They walked over towards the music where everyone was dancing, and Hermione heard one of her favorite muggle songs starting up. It was "Hey Baby" from No Doubt, and she smiled even more. They began to move quickly to the beat, and she was quite surprised by how well he danced. "You really do fancy him, huh?" asked a voice in her head.

******

"Hey, look at that," Ginny said as she, Harry, and Ron walked back towards their chairs and towels. A circle of people had formed around a couple who were dancing, and from the reaction of the crowd, they were doing it quite well. "Come on, let's go check it out," she told them, walking over towards the music. They edged their way into the crowd, and stared open mouthed at the dancers.

"That's George and Hermione," Ron said, shocked.

"Wow, they're incredible!" Ginny gaped as she watched her brother and friend dance quite impressively, and very close together.

"I didn't think Hermione could dance that well," Harry informed them. When the song ended a few moments later, the crowd burst into applause, making Hermione and George go red from more than just dancing; they had been so into dancing that they hadn't noticed the other people. They worked their way out of the crowd as the next song started. Harry, Ron, and Ginny followed the two of them off to their chairs, still gaping at the sight of their dancing.

"You guys were unbelievable," Ron said, looking at them with a look of astonished awe. Harry and Ginny nodded in agreement.

"Well, I did have an excellent dance partner," George informed them, smiling at Hermione.

"Thanks for the dance, George. They'll probably want an encore later," Hermione joked, sitting down.

"I think we can oblige them. I've got to go talk to Lee, but I'll check with you guys later," George said, walking off and waving goodbye.

"Wow, where on earth did you learn to dance like that?" Harry asked, amazed.

"I just learned it. I mean, it isn't that hard to move with the music," she told them, shrugging. She sat down on her chair, lying back in the sun.

"Well, that was so cool," Ginny told her, sitting down in her own chair. "I mean, I knew that George could dance, but I never imagined that you'd be that good."

"Well, I'm glad for the vote of confidence," Hermione told them, rolling her eyes and putting on her sunglasses.

"No offense, Mione. It's just that you were really good, and surpassed all of our expectations," Harry assured her.

"Okay, no harm done," she told them, smiling, "Anyway, that was fun."

"It looked it," Ginny said. "Do you want to dance, Harry?"

"Sorry, Gin, but I don't dance," Harry informed her sheepishly.

"What, not even for me?" Ginny asked, batting her eyelashes and looking at him sweetly.

"Especially not for you. It was hard enough slow dancing. Honestly, I don't want to embarrass myself in front of such a wonderful girlfriend," he told her, grinning.

"Right, well, I'd tell you two to get a room, but then I'd have to kill you, Harry," Ron said, interrupting the now kissing couple.

"Sorry, Ron," Ginny said, putting her sunglasses on. Hermione struggled to keep back the laughter at the look on Ron's face, but was very unsuccessful.

******

George approached the group of his friends very quietly, knowing they were all going to start badgering him about the dance with Hermione. He thought correctly, as they began as soon as they saw him.

"That was incredible, George!" Katie said as he sat down.

"Yeah, when did you learn to dance so good?" Fred asked.

"Same time you did, only I was blessed with a bit of coordination," George told his sibling sarcastically.

"Hey, I have plenty of coordination, right Angelina?" Fred asked with false indignation. Angelina looked quickly towards the other side of the room, pretending she hadn't heard him.

"Ooh, even your girlfriend thinks you dance horribly," Lee said, earning him a kick under the table from Fred.

"You two were pretty close out there," Fred informed his brother with a suggestive wink.

"Oh, we were just dancing!" George told them, rolling his eyes, "Honestly, you really should grow up."

"Hey, I'm two minutes older than you," Fred informed him, raising his head to look dignified.

"Okay, well, it was just a dance," George said in a tone that showed them that he wanted to end the conversation. Luckily, the group picked that up, going back to the topic of Angelina and Alicia trying to get Fred and Lee to dance with them. George turned his attention to his thoughts, recalling the dance with as much detail as possible. "Okay," he thought to himself, "I know what I'm going to do."

******

"Wow, isn't the sunset incredible?" Ginny asked. Hermione was sitting with her, Harry, and Ron, just watching the water and sunset. She was thinking about the dance she'd shared with George, and was really wishing that he'd ask her to do it again. "He is a really good dancer," she thought, remembering the grace, style, and rhythm he'd had. She was just recalling some of the better details when a person approached them. "Speak of the devil," Hermione muttered under her breath as she saw that the new person was none other than George.

"Hey, guys, what's up?" he asked, looking out over the beautiful reds, oranges, and pinks of the setting sun.

"Not much," Ron told him, leaning back on his towel.

"Did you need something?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, I just wanted to see if you wanted to take a walk with me, Mione," he told her.

She thought about it for about a millisecond, then answered, "Sure. That sounds fun."

"Great," he said, offering her a hand to help her stand up. Ginny looked at her with an encouraging grin, and Hermione smiled back at her. They walked a little way away, sitting down on some rocks that were pretty far away from the party. They looked out over the sunset, and Hermione thought of how romantic it was. "Oh, shut up," she told herself.

"So, um, great sunset, huh?" he asked her, sounding slightly nervous, "Really beautiful."

"Yeah, it sure is," she told him, not looking at him. If she had, she would have noticed that he wasn't looking over the water when he said the last part.

"Hermione, there's something I need to ask you," he said a moment later, very abruptly.

"What is it, George?" she asked, turning to look at him. He wouldn't meet her eyes, looking anywhere else.

"Well, um…I, oh…," he began nervously, then said quickly, "I really like you as more than just a friend and I want to know if maybe you'd like to go out sometime."

She stared at him, not saying anything, and finally smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that," she told him, "And I, um, I like you too."

"Really?" he asked nervously, finally meeting her gaze. She felt a jolt when his eyes met hers, one that sent shivers up and down her spine.

"Yeah," she told him, smiling sheepishly. Their gazes locked once again, and Hermione leaned forward, feeling very foolish for such a cliché moment. He did so as well, and Hermione closed her eyes as their lips met in a light kiss. The electricity of his eyes on hers was nothing compared to the voltage of their lips touching. They broke away quickly, looking at each other once more. Hermione wanted to once again feel that sensation, and she could see in his eyes that he wanted to, as well. Their faces were only a couple of inches apart from each other, and she closed her eyes again as they closed the distance. The second was even better, as they were expecting it more. This one was slower, longer, and she felt his lips move to deepen the kiss. It was quite welcome, and she felt bereft when they had to break away a few moments later for oxygen.

"Well, now I know what they mean when they say a sunset is really romantic," George told her, looking back to the water. They sat there for a few minutes, then finally decided to head back when it was mainly dark at 8:45. They were to leave at 9:00, anyway, so they figured they should go help get everything back into the car. They held hands as they walked, and she snuck little glances at him whenever she could. His crimson hair was blowing slightly in the breeze, giving him a very dashing look. George wore his hair a bit shorter than Fred, and Hermione had always thought it made him look more mature. They discussed their plans, and decided to go out on Tuesday night at 7:00.

When they got back, they helped load up the car, and Hermione was very grateful that Harry, Ron, and Fred hadn't seen them holding hands. Ginny had noticed, however, and smiled knowingly. Hermione took up her previous seat between Ginny and Ron, thinking about the kiss she had shared a while before with George. She smiled to herself as she remembered it in vivid detail, every part of it flashing pleasantly in her mind. Next to her on the seat, Ron was staring out the window blankly, and Ginny was curled up against Harry, both of them happily asleep. She looked up front, at George driving and Fred navigating, as they had decided to change posts. Hermione could feel herself beginning to doze as they floated through the clouds, but managed to stay awake the entire way. She helped carry all of their things inside, she lazily climbed the stairs to Ginny's room, falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillows, filled with dreams of a wonderful, red-headed knight in swimming trunks.

******

(A/N- How was that one? Like the kiss? I know, the dancing was a bit rushed, but I just couldn't wait to get to the juicy kissing scenes! Please let me know what you think by reviewing! You guys rock!

Thanx to my reviewers- Dazedpanda, heath, Ginny Weasley, elijahsbaby1981, and Lil' Baby! You guys rock!


	4. The Aftermath

Disclaimer- No, no licenses have been changed. Don't I wish…

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Hermione's Hero

Chapter 4: The Aftermath

"Mione, are you okay?" Ron asked the next morning. Hermione was sitting around the kitchen table with Ron and Harry, eating breakfast.

"What?" she asked, suddenly snapping out of her daydreams. "Oh, sorry," she said, embarrassed.

"You've been kind of distracted all morning," Harry told her.

Ginny walked down the stairs, brightly saying, "Good morning, all!" She sat down next to Harry and began to munch on toast.

"Well, anyway, I was just saying how much fun I had yesterday," Ron told Ginny, also informing Hermione, seeing as she hadn't been paying attention.

"Oh, yeah, yesterday was great," Ginny said, "I had loads of fun."

Hermione nodded along nonchalantly, her attention still on the conversation and kisses she'd shared with George.

"Okay, what are you thinking about?" Ron asked, noticing her staring into space once again.

"Oh, it's nothing," Hermione said, trying to brush off the question.

"I think I know," Ginny said under her breath.

Harry heard her, however, and asked, "What is it?"

"Oh, no, nothing," Ginny told him quickly, trying to cover up her previous statement.

"No, really, what is it?" Ron asked, looking at Hermione curiously.

She sighed, and said, "Okay, well, I, um, I'm going out with George on Tuesday." She looked at the others nervously, wondering what they'd say.

"Well it's about time!" Harry said happily. "I mean, you two have been flirting and acting really weird for a while now."

"Really?" she asked in astonishment. She hadn't realized that she and George had been acting differently.

"Yeah, we've really been wondering when he was going to ask you out," Ron told her, smiling. Hermione buried her head on her arms, very embarrassed.

"Does everyone know more about this than me?" she asked gloomily.

"Probably," Harry told her, trying to not laugh. Ron was doing the same, and Ginny was glaring at them.

"Well, come on Mione, we've got to get you ready," Ginny said. Hermione looked up and smiled.

"Okay, let's go!" she said as both girls took off up the stairs. Harry and Ron just rolled their eyes and muttered "Women!" under their breath.

******

George was still sleeping with a big smile on his face. In his dream, he was laying on that beach again, with Hermione, snogging. And judging by the way the dream was going, he could tell that they wouldn't just stop at kisses. He was just about to kiss Dream Hermione again when she hit him forehead, hard.

"Ow!" he cried as he sat up straight, in his dream and in his bedroom. He opened his eyes and saw Fred looking down at him, laughing. "What'd you have to do that for?" he asked with a scowl, angered that his dream had been so abruptly ended.

"Mum says you've got to wake up, as she wants us to de-gnome the garden _this instant_," Fred said, imitating their mother for the last part.

"Did you have to hit me?" George asked irritably.

"Yep, sure did," Fred told him solemnly. "Were you having a good dream? You kept mumbling something that sounded a lot like 'Hermione'."

"Huh?!" George asked, looking at his brother, his face a mask of horror.

"Uh huh," Fred said, nodding his head, "Is there anything that you want to tell me?"

"Well," George said hesitantly, "I, um, asked Hermione on a date."

"Alright! What'd she say?" Fred asked excitedly, sitting down by George's feet.

"She said yes, and we're going out Tuesday," George informed him shyly.

"It's about bloody time!" Fred told him, standing back up. "Come on, though, Mum's waiting." He left the room, closing the door behind him. George silently got dressed, wondering if Hermione had told Ron, Ginny, and Harry yet. He walked to the kitchen once he had finished dressing in his favorite pair of jeans and a tee shirt, and grabbed a piece of toast that his mother handed him. Not wanting to endure any more of his mother's ranting about the latest prank he and Fred had pulled, he quickly joined his twin outside to rid the garden of pesky gnomes. He answered all of Fred's questions about asking out Hermione, then discussing what they should do on the date.

"Well, you could always take her out dancing, seeing as you both enjoy it so much," Fred told him as he heaved a gnome over the hedge.

"I don't know, I want it to be really special," George told him. They worked late into the afternoon, Fred giving George advice about his upcoming date. After listening to Fred talking about the do's (give her flowers and pay her compliments) and don't's (joking about her hair) of dating, George wondered to himself, "What have I gotten myself into?"

******

(A/N- I know that chapter was pretty short, with no real kissing, but I'll make it up to you guys next time, okay? Once again, thanks to those who review, I love you guys! I think that I'm going to try to put up two chapters at a time when I post. Lots of fun coming up soon, with some Harry/Ginny stuff in one of the next few chapters. Next time: The Date!)


	5. The Date

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry Potter, and I have no money, so suing me would do you no good.

****

Hermione's Hero

Chapter 5: The Date

When Tuesday, finally arrived, Hermione's stomach was fluttering nervously. It was almost time to go, and she could hardly sit still as Ginny put the finishing touches on her hair. George had told her to dress casually, but she felt very far from it with all of the makeup and hairspray Ginny had used. She was dressed in a simple pair of short dark-denim shorts and a blue tank top, and felt very unclothed. When she had expressed these concerns to Ginny, she had simply told her not to worry, that she looked fine.

"Okay, done!" Ginny said happily as she set a brush down on her vanity table. She had straightened Hermione's hair and braided the front two bits, pulling them back and clipping them together behind her head. She had used plenty of glitter, and Hermione thought she had done well. She looked more put together than usual, and it was actually a nice change.

"Wow, great job, Gin!" Hermione told her, smiling at her reflection in the mirror. She looked at her watch, and said, "Okay, it's 7:00. I better go."

"Good luck!" Ginny said as she followed Hermione out of the room. Ginny took off towards Ron's room, presumably to tell him and Harry that she was leaving. Hermione walked down the stairs to the living room, seeing George standing nervously at the bottom of the stairs. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a nice tee shirt, and smiled broadly when he saw her.

"Hey, you ready to go?" he asked her as she descended the last few stairs. When he saw her properly in the light, he gaped. "Wow, you look incredible!"

"Thanks," she said, blushing. He offered her his arm, which she took, and they set off towards the front door.

"Mum, we're off!" he called as they passed the kitchen.

"Okay, be back by 11:00! Have fun!" Mrs. Weasley called back.

"Kay, bye!" he said. They walked to the garage and George opened the car door for Hermione. This was very impressive, as guys generally didn't do those kinds of chivalrous things anymore. He got in on the driver's side, smiling at her.

"So, where are we going?" she asked him excitedly.

"Ah, that would be a surprise," George answered, "but don't worry, we'll be there soon enough."

Hermione leaned back in her seat and was surprised to see after a few minutes that they were going in the same direction that they had gone to the beach party on Saturday. They pulled off in the same place to start the flying mechanism, and Hermione saw that he was taking her back to the same beach that they'd been at.

"Hmm, this looks familiar," she said as he gently set the car down.

"Yeah, I thought it might be a nice spot to go to," he told her as he climbed out of the car. He opened her door for her, smiling again. He grabbed a basket out of the trunk, and they set off. She found that they were walking back towards the place he had asked her out at. When they got there, he pulled a red blanket out of the basket and laid it out gently on the sand. He motioned for her to sit down, and she did so.

"So, what exactly do you have planned?" she asked curiously as he sat down across from her.

"Well, I thought we'd have dinner, talk, watch the sunset again, and take things from there," he informed her.

"Sounds good to me," she said, leaning back on her elbows. "So what did you bring to eat? I'm starved."

"Well, I've brought a lot of sweets, because you never know when you'll need a good sugar rush," he joked, pulling out some plates of delicious looking treats, and she reached for one eagerly as he poured each of them a glass of pumpkin juice.

"Wait," she said, hesitating, "These aren't any of the new joke sweets, are they?"

"No, I wouldn't dream of surprising you with any of those," he told her sweetly.

"Sorry, I just had to check," she told him, grinning sheepishly at her accusation. He just waved it off, leaning back and popping one of the sweets into his own mouth. They talked about many different topics, ranging from the fifth year courses to the newest jokes from the catalogue of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

Around 9:30, after the beautiful sunset, George asked, "Would you like to listen to some music?"

"Sure," she said, wondering how they'd listen. At that moment, George pulled a radio out of the basket, which was obviously for the WWN (Wizarding Wireless Network). He played with some of the knobs on it for a moment, finally stopping on a popular slow song from a group Hermione recognized as the Weird Sisters. George stood up at that moment and held out a hand.

"Care to dance?" he asked her. She nodded and took his hand, smiling at the memory of their last dance. She locked her hands together behind his neck, and he put his on her waist. She rested her head against his shoulder as they gently swayed to the music. Hermione felt as if she were floating on air as George's forehead came down to rest on the top of her head. She sighed, and he asked her what was wrong.

"Oh, nothing. This is just really great, you know?" she asked, hoping he knew what she meant so she didn't have to explain.

"Yeah, I do," he told her. He pulled her closer in to him and gently kissed the top of her head. She looked up at him, and he repeated it on her lips. She kissed him back eagerly, really glad that he had done that. She had been looking forward to another kiss from George ever since Saturday, wanting to feel that jolt along her spine again. They broke away for air a few moments later, sitting back down when they noticed that the song had ended quite a while before. Hermione was slightly red faced from dancing, kissing, and embarrassment. She knew that there wasn't any reason to be embarrassed, but she couldn't help it.

They sat still for a moment, but then a fast song struck up, and he said, "Okay, we've got to dance to that, it's a great song."

"Alright," she said, standing once again. They danced through the next two songs, smiling and laughing. "I've got to sit down for a moment," she said as the next song started, fanning her face with her hand.

"Wow, that was fun," George told her as he sat down, taking a long drink from his glass.

"Yeah, you really are a great dancer," Hermione said.

"You too," he replied, making her grin.

"Well…," she said, not really sure of what to say to that.

"Um, Mione, could I ask you something?"

"Sure, anything," she replied, looking at him with a sweet smile.

"Well, I know that this is our first date, but, um, I think that we go pretty well together, and I was wondering if maybe you'd like to go out with me. You know, like, go steady," George said quickly, avoiding her eyes.

Hermione thought for a moment, and smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that George. I'd like that a lot." He looked up at her with a grin on his face from ear to ear. He leaned in and kissed her again, holding her closely. She leaned in as well and let him wrap his arms around her back, as her own were around his neck. They broke off the kiss a few moments later, but still held on to each other, just staying close. George looked at his watch over her shoulder and pulled back.

"We better go. It's already 10:30, and we're supposed to be back at 11:00," he told her. He helped her to her feet and they quickly packed everything back into the basket. He opened her door for her once again when they got back to the car, and then they quickly flew back to the Burrow under the cover of the invisibility booster, making it back with five minutes to spare.

"Thank you for the lovely evening, George," Hermione said as they pulled into the garage.

"No, no," he told her, "thank you, Mione." He leaned over and kissed her once on the cheek, making her blush again. He turned off the car and opened her door, helping her out. They walked hand in hand to the kitchen, where Ron, Harry, Ginny, and Fred were waiting for them.

"So, did you have a nice time?" Ginny asked them as they walked in. Harry, Ron, and Fred were all grinning like mad, and Ginny quickly shot them warning looks.

"We did," Hermione said, smiling at George.

"So how did you make out?" Fred asked slyly, and then quickly added at the angry expression on George's face, "With this date?" They sat down at the table, both of them seemingly very interested in the butter.

"Hmm, looks of guilt, maybe?" Ron joked.

"Nope, no guilt, little brother," George said, smiling at Hermione. "Should I tell them, or do you want to?"

"Tell us what?" Harry asked.

"I guess I will," Hermione said, clearing her throat, "George and I have decided to go steady." The boys started hooting and making rude noises, and Ginny helped Hermione and George glare at them.

"That is so sweet!" Ginny said, hugging her brother and friend. She hit Harry on the arm, making him stop. "_I_ am very happy for you two."

"Thanks, Gin," Hermione said. She looked up at George, who smiled down at her.

"Aw, isn't that so cute!" Fred joked, sniggering. Ron and Harry covered their mouths to avoid laughter, and Ginny glared at them once more.

"Where's Mum and Dad?" George asked.

"They went up to bed already. Told us to wake them if you two weren't back by 11:30," Ron told them.

"Um, I think that I'm going to go to bed," Hermione said a moment later.

"I'll walk you," George told her, stomping on Fred's foot when he tried to comment. That also worked to silence Harry and Ron, for fear of George doing the same to them. He walked with her to Ginny's room, stopping outside of the door.

"I had a great time tonight, George," she told him.

"Yeah, me too," he said, "Would you like to have breakfast together in the morning before we all go to Diagon Alley?"

"I'd love to," she responded, smiling.

"Great, I'll be here at 8:30," he told her. She looked up at him and nodded, smiling. He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss goodnight, and said, "Night, Hermione."

"G'night, George. See you in the morning," she said, smiling at him once more before she closed the door. She quickly changed and got in bed, the smile on her face shining out even in the dark room.

George headed back down to the kitchen, knowing that he'd have to face them sometime or another. When he got in the kitchen, he sat heavily back down in the chair he'd been sitting in a few moments earlier, putting his head down on his arms. Ginny got up from the table with a smile and said, "I'll be right back." George heard her walking up the stairs and closing a door, probably to her room. He picked his head up from his arms, deciding to get it over with as soon as possible.

"Alright, let's get it over with," he told them, sighing heavily.

"You know, I'm not even going to say anything," Fred told him, earning an incredulous look from Harry and Ron. "Nope, I'm not. You didn't say anything when I started going with Angelina, so I'm going to let it slide. For now. When you two start acting all disgusting, then you're gonna get it."

George raised a quizzical eyebrow, and said, "Uh, thanks Fred. I think. What about you two?"

"We'll leave you until tomorrow, when we go to Diagon Alley," Ron informed him, grinning at Harry.

"Thank you all so very much for your generosity," George said sarcastically. "I'm also going to go to bed now. Night."

"Night, George," he heard Harry say. He climbed the stairs and smiled to himself, thinking about breakfast in a few hours.

******

Ginny walked back downstairs a few minutes later, after making Hermione promise to tell her all of the details of the date with her brother in the morning when they got to Diagon Alley. She walked back into the kitchen, sitting back down beside Harry. "So, did you guys get any details?" she asked of the three boys around the table.

"Nothing," Harry told her, sounding disappointed.

"I think I'm going to go try to get George to tell me about it," Fred said, standing and marching up the stairs. He vaguely called "Goodnight" down the stairs, and Ginny sighed. She had really hoped that they would have gotten some information from George.

"I think I'm going to go to bed now, too," Ron said, "Goodnight, guys." He walked up the stairs, leaving Ginny and Harry alone.

"Why don't we go into the living room, Harry?" she asked, wanting to get more comfortable than the hard kitchen chairs. He nodded and helped her to her feet, keeping his hold on her hands. When they got into the living room, he sat down and playfully pulled her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist. She giggled and curled up against his chest. After a moment, she said, "I'm glad for them."

"Hermione and George? Yeah, me too," he told her.

"It's great that they've finally figured it out," she said, snuggling closer against his chest, staring into the fire.

"It is," Harry said, "I mean, they really seem to like each other, and I think they go really good together."

"Yeah," she said, closing her eyes. Within minutes she was asleep, Harry not long behind her.

******

(A/N- YAY! The date! How was that for you? Hermione and George are finally a couple! I told you that there would be some Harry/Ginny stuff, and there it is. Please review and tell me your thoughts on this chapter.

Thank you to my reviers: kitty2000, Ziegod Lizski, Dazedpanda, Maddy, and The Scarlet Trombone! I love you all so much _*tear*! _Anybody that want to give me any ideas, I'd really appreciate it. I really like getting advice and hearing what you guys think!)


	6. Diagon Alley

Disclaimer- I still don't own it. Why bother with this?

****

Hermione's Hero

Chapter 6: Diagon Alley

Hermione's alarm went off at 7:45, and she smiled. George was going to pick her up in 45 minutes for breakfast, and she wanted to look her best. She quickly showered and fixed her hair, heading back to Ginny's room. Ginny always got up early, so she didn't have to worry about bothering her. She picked out a flattering pair of tight low-cut flare jeans, and finally settled on a red halter-top that showed off a bit of her midriff. As she slipped on a pair of sandals that had a bit of a platform, a knock on the door told her that George was waiting for her. She grabbed a dark denim jacket that was the exact color of her pants and opened the door to a bouquet of flowers held out by a hand that belonged to an unseen someone. George poked his head around the doorframe, smiling.

"Morning beautiful," he told her, kissing her on the cheek. "These are for you."

"They're gorgeous! Where did you get them?" she asked as she smelled the red flowers he handed her.

"I cut them in Mum's garden this morning," he told her, shrugging. "Are you ready for breakfast?"

"Certainly," she said, accepting the arm that he offered. They walked downstairs together, talking about what they needed and wanted to do in Diagon Alley. When they got to the kitchen, George led her outside into the garden, over to a small table complete with two chairs and plenty more of the lovely flowers. There was a small breakfast set up on the table, and she smiled at his sweetness. "Aww, this is great! Thank you!" she said.

"Well, you know, just thought I'd make you some breakfast," he told her, kissing the back of her hand. She sat down and he pushed her chair in for her, and she helped her plate with plenty of scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon.

"Mm, this is great," Hermione said, taking a bite of eggs. "You're an excellent cook."

"Oh, I'm not _excellent_, just really, really good," George joked, blushing slightly.

"I think you're great," she told him, smiling. His face turned an even brighter magenta, and his ears blushed as well, doing that cute trait that she really liked.

"Um, you should probably eat up. We need to get to Diagon Alley pretty quickly so we have more time there, you know. Everyone else already left," he told her.

"Right," she said, beginning to eat a bit quicker. When she was done, he cleared away the dishes, not letting her help, and they found Mrs. Weasley, who gave George a small coin sack.

"Alright, I expect you two to be back by six o' clock for dinner," Mrs. Weasley said, giving George a warning look. "No pranks while you are gone, George, you hear me?"

"Yes Mum, I promise," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Have fun," she said, her tone softening, as she smiled at them. They grabbed a bag of Floo Powder, and went through together, crying "Diagon Alley!" They landed a moment later, hitting down roughly.

"Oomph!" Hermione said as she rubbed an elbow that she bumped on the landing.

"Aw, want me to kiss it and make it better?" he teased.

"I sure do," she told him in complete seriousness. He bent down and kissed her elbow, smiling at her.

"Anywhere else?" he asked.

"You know, I landed kind of roughly right here," she said, indicating her mouth. He bent down and kissed her lightly on the lips, only stopping when a group of people approached them, one of them faking a cough. Hermione looked up to see Harry, Ron, Ginny, Fred, and Angelina looking down at them.

"Riiight," Ron said, sniggering. They quickly stood up and brushed the soot off of their clothes, not looking at the group standing around them.

"So, where to first?" George asked, looking at Hermione.

"Um, I need to go to Gringott's to change my money first, I think," she said, pulling a small change purse from her pocket.

"Okay, why don't we go take care of that," George said, "And we'll meet you guys in, say, Quality Quidditch Supplies in half an hour. Sound good?"

"Okay, see you guys in a few minutes, then," Fred said, eyeing them carefully. They walked off, and George and Hermione took off towards Gringott's, laughing and talking. She exchanged her muggle notes for wizarding knuts, sickles, and galleons, and the pair made their way to Quality Quidditch Supplies. They found everyone else inside, talking excitedly. Hermione had never been too interested in Quidditch and brooms, but it was hard to not get wrapped up in the commotion inside of the store.

After about twenty minutes of Quidditch talk, Ginny convinced Hermione to go off for some girl time, where Ginny squeezed out every last detail of the date. They giggled and gossiped for a while, then Hermione headed off towards Flourish and Blott's to meet Harry and Ron to get their books. She spotted them waiting outside of the shop and walked quickly over to them.

"Honestly, Mione, what took you so long?" Ron asked, "We've been waiting for ages!"

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "Ginny wouldn't let me go until she had every last detail of my date last night," she explained.

"Well, we still want to hear all of the details," Harry told her, sounding a little upset.

"You aren't upset that I told Ginny about it first, are you, guys?" she asked curiously.

"Well, a little," Ron admitted, "I mean, we are meant to be your best friends."

"I'm sorry," she told them remorsefully, "I mean, it's just, well, Ginny's a girl, so it's easier to talk to her about this kind of stuff." She hadn't thought that it would bother them that much to not be informed first about it. "I promise that I will tell you guys first when something happens, okay?"

"Alright, Mione," Harry said, grinning. Ron followed suit, laughing about it now.

"Okay, we want all the juicy details Hermione," Ron said. He looked thoughtful about his last statement for a moment, then made a disgusted face. "I can't believe that I just said that!"

"Yeah, Lavender and Parvati move over, right?" Hermione joked, throwing an arm around each of her best friends, leading them in the store. She told them exactly what happened, grinning as she blushed when they gave whistles and howls at the kissing scenes. They got the books for their fifth year course schedules and headed over to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, where they were to meet Ginny, George, and Fred. They sat down and ordered ice cream cones, waiting for the others to arrive, chatting about what they still needed to buy. Ginny walked over a few moments later, sitting down and ordering some ice cream for herself. Fred and George arrived in a few minutes, talking animatedly about an argument Lee and Alicia had been having earlier. They got large dishes of ice cream, eating them quickly, finishing in nearly as little time as Harry, Ron, and Hermione had finished their small cones.

"Hey, what do you guys say we head over to Madam Malkin's?" Fred asked.

"Why? Need new robes?" Ron asked.

"We'll tell you when we get there," George said, standing up. The group made their way down the street, stopping in front of Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. The twins dragged Ron inside, and Hermione gave them quizzical looks.

"Hello, hello!" said a plump witch in velvety robes of a deep lavender. "What can I do for you?"

"He is going to be needing some new dress robes," Fred said, indicating Ron. He looked at him incredulously, his mouth open in shock.

"Okay, dear, step right up there, now," she told him, motioning towards a stool that stood in front of a very large three-sided mirror. Ron stepped up as Madam Malkin began to measure him, looking at his brothers in the mirror. "What color were you thinking?" Madam Malkin asked, still measuring. Hermione and Ginny's eyes lit up as they began to look through all of the materials on the shelves, holding up several swatches to Ron to find a good hue for him.

"Oh, this one would look great!" Ginny cried as she pulled a soft, dark blue material from the back of a shelf. She held a sample to Ron's face, smiling broadly. "Yes, it's perfect!" The color was a great contrast against his light blue eyes, and it worked positively beautifully with his red hair.

"Oh, you're right, Gin, that one's wonderful!" Hermione said as she examined the fabric. "What do you guys think?" she asked the other boys, who had all taken seats against a wall. They mumbled something indiscreet, barely looking up.

"That one looks great," Madam Malkin said, stepping back into the room. "Is that the one you want?"

"What do you think, Ron?" Ginny asked.

He looked at his reflection in the mirror against the cloth for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, I like it. That's the one," he told them, making the girls squeal in excitement.

"Alright, I'll be back in a moment," Madam Malkin told them, taking the bolt of fabric from the counter. She returned about five minutes later with the finished robes, handing them to Ron. He pulled them on, and the girls gazed admiringly at him.

"Wow, Ron, you look excellent!" Ginny said. "Guys, come look at this." The other boys walked over, looking at Ron.

"Lookin' sharp, little brother," George told him grinning.

"Yeah, Ron, you shouldn't have any trouble getting a date with those," Harry joked. Ron was steadily getting redder as the comments continued, but he really did look good.

"So, are these okay?" Madam Malkin asked.

"Yeah," Ron told her, stunned by his reflection. "Guys, how're we paying for these?" he asked as he suddenly remembered the matter of price.

"Don't you worry about that," George told him.

"No really, how are you planning on paying for them?" Ron asked again, a bit of anger creeping into his voice.

"We have found a private investor for the joke shop, and we decided to buy you some dress robes that didn't look like they were too feminine for Ginny even," Fred told him.

"Where did you guys find a private investor?" Hermione asked.

"Sorry, it's a secret," George told her, "They've asked to remain anonymous."

"Come on, who is it?" Ginny asked.

"Nope, we can't tell," Fred said, shrugging.

Ron looked cautious for a moment, then hesitantly said, "Okay, fine, but I want to meet this great investor one day."

"Maybe one day," George told him.

"But no time soon," Fred added. Ron took off the dress robes and handed them to Madam Malkin, who wrapped them up and collected her fee from Fred and George. If Hermione, Ginny, and Ron hadn't been so busy looking around the store, they would have noticed the wink that George gave Harry as they handed Madam Malkin the coins for the robes.

"Okay, where to now?" George asked as they stepped outside.

"Hmm," Hermione said, checking over her to do list, "We should probably stock up on our potions ingredients."

"Alright, then," George told her, slinging an arm over her shoulders, "let's go."

The group walked down the alley to the Apothecary, where they refilled their potions supplies. Hermione had always loved the smell of the Apothecary, mixed with the scents of all of the ingredients. It was heaven! When they finally dragged her out of there, it was time to head back to the Burrow. To speed things up, they traveled back in pairs, like Hermione and George had done earlier in the day. When they arrived, Hermione and Ginny hurried to drop of their new purchases in Ginny's room, rushing back downstairs for an important announcement from Mrs. Weasley.

"Okay, now, there have been some problems at the Ministry," Mrs. Weasley began once everyone was downstairs, "Your father and I have to go to the States for a few days. Now, none of your brothers could get any time off of work, so we are going to have to leave the six of you alone."

"I forbid pretty much anything that you are thinking of," she continued, "And we have already placed several charms on the house to alert us of any parties and the like. Charlie is going to Apparate in once a day to check on you, and report anything that your father and I might need to know about. Your father has already left, and I have to go now. I want you to promise me that you will all be on your best behavior." She looked especially at Fred and George at the last statement. Everyone pledged their obedience, and she continued.

"Now, please be careful, no leaving the property, and I want you to all be inside by dark. Dinner is ready, on the stove, and I expect you to all eat three healthy meals a day. I love you all, and please be good," she told them, hugging each of them in turn. She waved one last time, and Apparated with a suitcase.

"Okay, who's hungry?" Ginny asked after a moment, walking over to the stove, taking over the cooking duties.

"I'm starved," Ron told her, sitting down at the table. "What's to eat?"

"Pot roast, boiled potatoes, carrots, and salad," she informed them, checking each of the pots and pans on the stove. She brought each of the dishes over, setting them on the table. They had a great meal, and Hermione enjoyed it immensely. After arguing for a few minutes, Harry and Ron were assigned to do the dishes. Hermione got her new schoolbooks and curled up in a chair in front of the fire to read them. She was about ten pages into _The Standard Book of Spells: Grade Five_ by Miranda Goshawk when George walked in, sitting down on the arm of her chair.

"What're you reading?" he asked, looking over her shoulder at her spell book.

"Just getting a start on my school work," she said, showing him her quill and parchment that she'd been using to take notes.

"Wow, already?" he asked, "I mean, you just got those. It's summer!"

"Well," Hermione said defensively, "I like to be prepared."

"Oh, no offense or anything. I know how seriously you take school," he told her, grinning.

"I do, but I just want to do well," she informed him, "I mean, OWL's are just around the corner for me."

"Yeah, I suppose I should probably start studying for the NEWT's as well, huh?" he asked. "I'll go get my books and join you. Maybe some of your good study habits will wear off on me." He returned a few moments later, arms full of books, quills, and parchment. He spread them all out on the coffee table, grabbing his Potions textbook. He stretched his long legs out down the length of the couch, starting to read.

After about fifteen minutes of studying, he closed his book and rubbed his eyes. "Okay, time for a break," he told her setting his book down.

"You've barely begun working," Hermione told him, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but this is no fun," George complained. "Come on, come sit down over here and take a breather." She sighed and closed her book, putting it on her chair as she vacated it. She walked over to him and waited for him to move his legs.

"Well, aren't you going to move so I can sit down?" she asked as he made no attempt to let her sit.

"No, I had a better idea," he told her, grabbing her hands and pulling her onto his lap. He grinned mischievously, then leaned in to kiss her.

"Oh, why not?" she thought as she kissed him back, "I can always take a small break."

******

As he and Ron finished the dishes, Harry thought, "How many forks did we use?" They had been doing the dishes for a half an hour, and his arms were starting to ache.

"Okay, done!" Ron said as they put the last of the cutlery in the drawer. "Wanna go see what Mione's up to?"

"Yeah, but I doubt that she'll be up for anything. She just got a whole new set of books, you know she never stops with those until she's read them all," Harry reminded him as they walked into the living room. They stopped as they looked towards the couch, nearly laughing at the sight. Hermione was sitting in George's lap, and they were kissing, oblivious to everything else. Harry and Ron quickly headed back in the other direction, fighting the urge to laugh, as to not bother them.

When they were seated back at the kitchen table, Ron asked, through gasps for air, "How about a game of chess?"

"Why not? I haven't lost in a few hours," Harry joked.

"Alright, then," Ron said as he pulled out his chessboard. They had left the board and pieces down here after their last game, that morning. Ron already had the upper hand about ten minutes in, and Harry was just about to make the only move he had available when Charlie Apparated into the kitchen.

"Hey, Charlie, come to check up on us already?" Ron asked.

"Yep, Mum asked me to do it every night, and she told me I'd better do it tonight, too," Charlie informed them. He started towards the living room, and Harry and Ron stopped him.

"I wouldn't go in there if were you," Harry told him, sniggering with Ron at the memory of George and Hermione.

"Why not? Did Fred and George set off more dungbombs in there? If they did, Mum's going to have a fit," Charlie warned, and Ron cut him off.

"No, but George is in there with Hermione," Ron told him.

"So?" Charlie asked. Obviously he hadn't been told about his little brother's new girlfriend.

"They just started dating," Harry informed him. "They're having quite the time on the sofa." Charlie's eyes widened in shock, and he rushed in. Harry and Ron followed quickly, wanting to catch every moment of their embarrassment. They got there just in time to see Charlie clear his throat, making Hermione and George spring apart quickly.

"Hey," Charlie said, fighting back laughter at their guilty expressions just as hard as Harry and Ron.

"What's up, Charlie?" George asked as he fumbled to pick up his potions book from the coffee table. Hermione became very interested in her nail polish at that moment, Harry noted.

"Okay, we should probably go now," Ron whispered in his ear, and Harry nodded, knowing that if he spoke he'd laugh until his head exploded. They took off up the stairs, quickly running into Ron's room and closing the door. The two collapsed on the floor in fits of laughter.

"Now that was funny!" he cried, finally gaining some composure.

"Yeah it was! Oh, the looks on their faces!" Ron said, finally getting off the floor and sitting on his bed. "How about another game of chess?"

"Sure," Harry said. "Oh, we left the stuff downstairs, I'll go get it." He walked out of Ron's room to the kitchen, finding Ginny.

"Hey," she said, looking up from the magazine she was reading.

"Oh, what're you reading?" he asked, curious.

"I was just taking one of those 'How Great is Your Boyfriend' quizzes," she told him.

"How did I score?" he asked nervously.

"You got seventeen points out of twenty. That would make you a 'Romancing Romeo'," she told him. He grinned slyly, and leaned down to read over the quiz. He was distracted, however, when he locked gazes with Ginny about half way down, and began to kiss her. Harry wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. Things were just starting to get interesting when an irritated voice made them pull apart.

"Cripes, what do they feed you teenagers, straight hormones?" Charlie asked, throwing his hands up in the air exasperatedly. They blushed and laughed, stepping apart further. Harry remembered why he had come downstairs in the first place and grabbed Ron's chessboard and the pieces, hurrying upstairs after a quick sorrowful look at Ginny.

"What took you so long?" Ron asked as Harry opened the door and came back in.

"Oh, I just chatted with Ginny for a minute, that's all," he told him, hoping to not have to tell Ron about Charlie walking in on them like he did with Hermione and George. Luckily, Ron seemed to accept this, and began to set up the board. About half way through this game, Charlie poked his head in and told them that he was off.

"I want you guys in bed by 11:00, okay? See you tomorrow," Charlie said, Apparating outside of the door. Harry and Ron went back to their game, Harry loosing miserably in the end. They went back downstairs to check out what everyone else was doing, finding Fred, Ginny, George, and Hermione all in the living room. Harry sat down right next to Ginny, stretching out and putting an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. Ron sat in a chair across from Fred, discussing the latest standings in the Quidditch World Cup. Hermione was studying, while George, who was sitting next to her, was staring blankly at the book in front of him.

He read over Ginny's shoulder, noticing that she was taking a new quiz in the magazine she'd been reading earlier. 'What is Your Perfect Color?' was the title on this one, and it looked like Ginny's score was leaning towards purple. She leaned back against him, resting her back against his side and her head on his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes to relax.

******

George was feeling very bored sitting in the living room reading, and he really wished that everyone would go away and leave him and Hermione alone again so they could continue what they had started before Charlie had interrupted. He pulled out a fresh sheet of parchment and scribbled down a note to give her. If they couldn't talk, then maybe they could pass notes.

**I'm bored**

_Why?_

**This isn't very fun, just reading**

_Sorry_

**It would be a lot more fun if everyone would leave and we could take another study break**

_Really? To do what?_

**Yeah,****like you don't know. First, I'd sweep all of these books and papers off of the couch, and pull you very close.**

_And then?_

**Then, I'd pour each of us a tall glass of champagne, using those really fancy glasses that my Mum saves for special occasions. We'd both be dressed in formal clothes, by the way**

_Sounds good so far. What next?_

**Then I'd say something really sweet to you, like, "You know, I could just look into your beautiful eyes forever."**

_Aww!__And?_

**Well then, I'd put my hand underneath your chin and lift your face up, and kiss you softly**

_I like this idea_

**Oh, but then, you'd throw your arms around my neck, and we'd kiss passionately. I'd pull you very close, holding you as tightly to me as I could**

_Hmm, I really like this. What happens then?_

**Well, we'd just sit here, kissing for a bit, and then you'd pull me down onto the couch, wrapping your legs**

"What are you two writing about?" Fred asked, and they looked up. Everyone else was looking at them, puzzled expressions on their faces.

"Oh, nothing," George said, crumbling up the paper and throwing it into the fire. He looked at Hermione and smiled.

"Ah, it was a love letter!" Ron teased, laughing.

"Nope, we were just discussing all of those freckles on your face," Hermione lied, making Ron glare at her.

"Really, what were you guys writing about?" Harry asked.

"None of you business," Hermione told him, smiling innocently. She picked her book back up and started reading again. George shook his head and began reading again too, really wishing that their note writing hadn't been interrupted. After about twenty minutes, Hermione closed her book and yawned. She leaned back and rested her head in the crook of George's neck, and said, "I think that I'm just going to relax for a bit, okay?"

"Finally," George said, "I was getting exhausted from just watching you. Is this how she always studies?"

"Yep, she never stops," Ron told him. Hermione opened one eye to glare at him for a moment, closing it back lazily. George rested his chin against the top of her head, smelling in the scent of her hair. He breathed deeply of the aroma, letting it wash over his senses. This was right where he wanted to be.

******

(A/N- whew, that was a long one! Well, compared to some of the other chapters. I was going to end with the Harry/Ginny scene, but I decided that I wanted to start off the next chapter differently. George got a little hormonal in the note there, eh? Next time: The Return to Hogwarts!)


	7. Return to Hogwarts

Disclaimer- Do I really have to keep doing this? You have obviously been reading the entire thing to have come this far, and you should know by now that I am not JK Rowling. I am telling you so, but you should probably be able to tell by my awful writing style, and the fact that George and Hermione are together. JK Rowling would NEVER do that. I mean, also, look at the fact that I haven't even mentioned Viktor Krum ONE time in the entire thing. A REAL writer would have already dealt with that. I might talk about him in a later chapter, but… What? Oh, yeah, this is just the disclaimer. I'll shut up now and let you get to the story.

****

Hermione's Hero

Chapter 7: Return to Hogwarts

"Wow, can you believe that it's already time to go back?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione as they looked at the scarlet red Hogwarts Express from Platform 9 ¾. It was, of course, September 1st, and they were about to board the train that would take them to Hogwarts.

"Nope, but it's great to be back, huh?" Ron replied. "Come on, let's go get a good compartment." The three of them walked onboard, finding an empty compartment almost immediately. They had gotten there about twenty minutes early, which was great compared to their almost perpetual lateness. They leaned out the window to say their final good-byes to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, sitting back when they bid them farewell and Apparated back home.

"So do you realize we are only going to take this trip to Hogwarts two more times?" Hermione asked a moment later.

"Yeah, you're right," Harry said, looking thoughtful. He hadn't really thought about that until then, and it was kind of depressing.

"Oh, come on, let's not think about that," Ron said, noticing the gloomy expressions on his friends' faces. "Why don't we discuss more fun things, like how Harry is going to lead the Quidditch team to victory this year?"

"Well, we can only hope…," Harry began, but Hermione cut him off.

"Come on, Harry, dream a little! You guys are going to be excellent," she said, "And now, with three Weasleys on the team, there is no way you can loose!" Ron blushed at Hermione's boasting about his recent appointment as Gryffindor's new Quidditch Keeper.

"She's right!" Ron exclaimed loudly, "We're gonna do it!"

"Now there's the spirit!" Hermione said, hugging Harry and Ron.

"What, is it time for a group hug already?" George asked from the doorway. He was standing there with Fred, Lee, Angelina, Katie, and Alicia.

"We were just talking about how great the team is this year," Hermione informed them, making them all grin.

"She does have a point," Alicia said, "We are a pretty wonderful team." Everyone broke out into cheers, talking loudly about how they were going to win the Cup that year. After a while, Katie left with her boyfriend, Jacob, and Angelina and Alicia dragged Fred and Lee off to go see some more of their seventh year friends. George stayed, and Ginny found her way to their compartment, sitting practically on top of Harry.

Around lunchtime, the door opened, and a foul sight met their eyes. It was Malfoy and his goons, Crabbe and Goyle. Pansy Parkinson was clinging to Malfoy's arm, looking very smug about that fact.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry asked before Malfoy could even get a word out of his mouth.

"Just wanted to see if the rumors were true that someone actually wanted to date that Mudblood. Of course, it's only one of the poor Weasley twins, so I guess it's right up her alley," Malfoy said. Harry and Ron stood up, as they were used to defending Hermione when Malfoy called her a Mudblood. George put a hand up, though, and seeing the murderous look on his face, they sat back down.

"Listen here, worm. If you ever call my family poor again, I'm going to take your wand and cram it right through your skull. And if I ever have the slightest suspicion that you've even thought about calling Hermione that again, I will kill you. Do you understand that?" George asked him. He said all of this very quietly, but the effect his words had on the group of Slytherins was so powerful that even Crabbe and Goyle, who were at least two inches taller, not to mention much bulkier, than George, backed off.

"Come on," Malfoy said, leading the others away quickly. Hermione stood up at that moment and put her hands on George's face, kissing him deeply, tears streaming down her face.

"Thank you," she told him when she pulled back, wrapping her arms around him. He hugged her back tightly, and Harry and Ron didn't even think about teasing them. When they broke apart, Harry, Ron, and Ginny all congratulated him on such a wonderful shredding of Malfoy's ego.

"That was so great! I mean, the look on his face when you said all that, it was priceless! Almost as good as when he got turned into a ferret!" Ron howled, laughing incessantly.

"You were awesome, George!" Harry told him, very impressed. The witch with the lunch cart came around a few minutes later, and they bought plenty of food off of the cart, as they were all starving. They joked for a few more minutes about Malfoy, then returning to the topic of Quidditch. They discussed strategies for a while, soon after visualizing their victory of the Cup. Hermione and Ginny left for a few minutes to change into their robes, and to allow the boys to change into theirs.

The train finally stopped at the Hogsmeade station about thirty minutes later, and the group made their way off of the train.

"Firs' years this way," said the booming voice of Hagrid.

"Hi Hagrid!" Harry called. Hagrid waved and smiled at them, and continued ushering the first year students towards the boats at the lake. Harry climbed into one of the horse-less carriages with Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and George, and they talked excitedly, looking out the windows to catch a view of Hogwarts whenever possible.

"It feels great to be back," Harry said a moment later.

"It sure does," Ron said. They arrived at the castle a few moments later, and hurried their way into the Great Hall. Before dinner, they watched the Sorting of the first year students into houses and listened to Dumbledore's announcements, and Harry realized how hungry he was. Finally, when Dumbledore said the magic words for the food, Harry dug in with a great ferocity.

"Harry, you look like you haven't eaten in weeks," Hermione commented, staring at the amounts of food he was shoveling into his mouth.

"Well, I'm fifteen, and I haven't eaten in a good three hours. What do you expect?" he told her, in between mouthfuls of food.

"Yeah, he's right, Mione. I've grown up with six of them, and they do eat this much, all the time," Ginny informed her.

Hermione shook her head and smiled, once again looking at the pile of food on the boys' plates. "That's enough to feed a small army, that is," she joked.

The boys waved this comment off, continuing to eat at a terrifying pace. After dinner, they headed to the Gryffindor common room, sitting around the fire, talking animatedly about the new school year. A bit later, Harry trudged up to bed, the first to arrive in the fifth year boys' dorms. He quickly changed into his pajamas and climbed into his enormous four-post bed, smiling at the thought of finally being home.

******

(A/N- I know, another short chapter. Thank you if you review, and thanks if you've reviewed my other chapters. I also know that there wasn't anything very fluffy in this chapter, except the whole near bashing in of Draco's head (Draco fans- I'm sorry about that, I love him too! I'll make it up to you guys when I post the Ginny/Draco I'm working on.). I also know that Hermione probably wouldn't have gotten all emotional like that, but oh well. I promise, the next chapter will be longer, with plenty of snogs, and Quidditch practice!

To all my reviewers: you guys rock!!!

Maddy- Yeah, I figured that it was pretty funny with Charlie and all.

starzinluv- Am I really your favorite author? I think I'm gonna cry! Thank you! I like your Birthday Prank story; it's really cute! And your Harry/Ginny one, The Sweetest Kiss.

alex wimberly (a.k.a. ali)- I am actually thinking about a sequel to this (it will take place later on in the HP universe). I still have many more chapters to go before I get to that though…

Camisole- Something bad, huh? LOL. Anyway, George was just a tad hormonal there for a few minutes with that whole note thing. I might add an extra bit to that last chapter with what ACTUALLY would have gone on if they had written the whole note.

smiliey- I'm working on it, I'm working on it! LOL

Michelle- Thanx, I'm working on the next few chapters, and I'll try to keep it good

Alexandra- I haven't added anyone yet (that I can remember), but I think I will some of the later chapters

gabby- Thank you! I know, I added, like, a lot of chapters for a while, but I'm starting to run out of the ones already written, so I decided to slow it down just a bit. Only a little bit!

wert75- Hee hee! Thanx a bunch!

Seanluvr- Thanks, I'll try to hurry it on!

Well, my mom is yelling at me to get off the internet now, as I have to do school tomorrow (although I don't see why that matters, as I am homeschooled), so I have to go. Love ya lots, and please review if you can!)


	8. Arithmancy Surprises

Disclaimer- No owning of Harry Potter for me.

****

Hermione's Hero

Chapter 8: Arithmancy Surprises

The first few days of classes practically flew by for Hermione, who was studying during much of her free time. She was sitting in Arithmancy now, working ahead in her book, seeing as she'd finished the last of the work she'd been assigned ages before the rest of the class.

Professor Vector was walking around the room, checking the students' progress. "Nice work on number twelve, Mr. Finnigan," she said, examining Seamus's paper at the desk behind Hermione. As she looked at her paper, she gasped in surprise.

"Very far ahead, once again, Miss Granger," she said, chuckling softly. "I'd like to have a word with you after class, if you don't mind." Hermione nodded, still very absorbed in her work, although wondering what the Professor needed to talk to her about. The bell rang another fifteen minutes later, and she saw George waiting for her outside the door. She silently held up one finger to indicate that she'd only be a minute, and he nodded. Walking up to Professor Vector's desk, she hoped that she wasn't going to scold her for working too far ahead and ruining the lesson plans for the next few days.

"Miss Granger, I am very impressed with your progress," she said, smiling at her. "However, neither myself, nor Professor Dumbledore believe that you are being challenged enough to remain in this class." Her mouth dropped open, and she gasped. Was she going to get kicked her out of Arithmancy, her favorite class, just because she was ahead of everyone else?

"We believe that it would be better to place you where you will have to think harder, and use your mind," she continued, and Hermione nearly gasped. Did this mean that she was going to have to switch over to the only class that she had ever been bad at to have a challenge? Were they going to place her back in Divination?

"Now, I believe that you have the last class period on Wednesday free; is that correct?" she asked, and Hermione nodded, now very puzzled. Fifth year Divination with the Gryffindors took place at the same time as Arithmancy. "Well, then I would like to try you in the seventh year Gryffindor and Ravenclaw Arithmancy class for a while, to see if it is better suited to you. Would that be okay?"

"Are you kidding?" she asked, now feeling elated, "I would love that!"

"Alright, well, then, I'll see you next Wednesday, and you will now have last class, on Fridays, off, Miss Granger," Professor Vector said, smiling at her.

"Thank you so much, Professor! You won't regret it!" she said, now heading towards the door, practically floating on air. She walked over to George, beaming.

"What is it?" he asked, noticing the smile upon his girlfriend's face.

"Professor Vector didn't think I was being challenged enough in Arithmancy, so they are going to let me take it with the seventh years now," she told him, still astonished at the news herself.

"Oh, Mione, that's incredible!" he said, giving her a big hug. "So, that's the seventh year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws, right?"

"Uh huh," she said, smiling brightly.

"Hmm, that's interesting," he told her, pulling her book bag off of her shoulder and pulling it over his own. Hermione was still adjusting to having him carry her books for her when he walked her from a class.

"Why?" she asked curiously, an eyebrow raising, but her smile staying in place.

"Well, it just looks as if I'm going to have to save you a seat Wednesday, that's all," he told her slyly. She suddenly remembered that George _was_ in Arithmancy, and they would be in the same class. The idea of having a class with him was a very good one, and she grinned broader, if that was even possible.

"Ooh, this is great!" she said as they started walking off towards Gryffindor tower. "So what is seventh year Arithmancy like?" she asked him excitedly, wondering what she should do to prepare for her first class.

"It's really great, and very difficult. Lots of hard work," he told her. She had found out over the past few weeks that George actually enjoyed his classes. He shared her love of Arithmancy, and she was very much looking forward to working with him. They discussed the class all the way to Gryffindor tower, drawing on what George knew from his first class. They sat down and continued their dialogue, when Harry and Ron came in.

"What's going on?" Harry asked, standing in front of them beside Ron.

"Well, Professor Vector thought that I wasn't being challenged enough in Arithmancy, so she moved me up. Starting Wednesday, I'll be in class with the seventh years," Hermione told them proudly.

"Hey, way to go, Mione," Ron said, continuing jokingly, "Maybe next year they'll have you teaching that class."

"Ha, ha, funny," she told him sarcastically, grinning still.

"Seriously, congratulations, Mione," Harry said, heading out the portrait hole, "Practice in fifteen, George." Hermione noticed then that he and Ron had their broomsticks and Quidditch gear.

"Right, he's off his rocker," George told her, "He's already got us scheduled for four practices in the next week. I really wonder who's worse, him, or Oliver Wood." She giggled, and he continued, "Well, anyway, why don't I meet you in the Great Hall for dinner after the slave driver lets us go?"

"What, I'm not allowed to come watch you practice?" she asked sweetly.

"I didn't think you'd want to," he told her earnestly. "I mean, you never came to practices before."

"Yes, well, I didn't have a boyfriend to worry about then, now did I?" she teased.

"Okay, well, I'll go get my things and you can accompany me to the field, milady," he said, making it sound like she was to be treated to a great honor. She waited while he hurried up to the boys' dorms, coming back down a moment later with his gear. They walked together to the field, George then heading off towards the locker rooms, and Hermione towards the stands. She quickly sat down beside Ginny, who had come to watch her brothers, and, of course, Harry.

"Hey, Mione, what's up?" Ginny asked, marking her place in the book she was reading. They talked about Hermione's new promotion in Arithmancy and the awful potions class the fourth years had been forced to endure that morning, until they saw the team heading out onto the field about fifteen minutes later. She waved down at George, who blew a kiss up to her. She mimicked the motion of letting it land on her cheek before blowing one back, watching George catch an invisible something and tuck it in his pocket and whack Fred upside the head, as he'd obviously made a comment about their latest show of affection.

Hermione watched on as Harry worked the team for an hour, letting them go after a last few words on their first practice. Hermione walked down with Ginny, only waiting a few moments for George to walk out and greet her with a smile. "You know, it sure feels good to have someone actually come to watch me," he told her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing the tip of her nose.

"Oh, yes, because I made so much difference, just sitting in the stands," she said sarcastically.

"Ah, but you did. You inspired me to fly better than I ever have before. My muse," he joked, grinning. She leaned up and kissed him gently at that moment, hands resting on his chest, melting into his strong embrace.

"Oh, look at that, they can't even keep their hands off of each other for a whole hour! How completely disgusting," said a facetious voice from the doorway of the changing rooms. Fred was standing there with Angelina, Alicia, and Lee, who had been watching the practice also, and had just gone over to greet his girlfriend and friends. There was quite a large smirk displayed on Fred's face.

"Humph!" Angelina said, "Figures I'd get the least romantic of the Weasley twins. You better hang on to that one, Hermione."

"You want romantic?" Fred asked her, suddenly grabbing her up in his arms, "Here's romantic." He dipped her and kissed her passionately, resulting in catcalls and whistles from George and Lee, and Aww's from Hermione, Alicia, and Ginny. Fred then pulled her back up and broke off the kiss, a sly grin on his face, and a dazed expression on Angelina's.

She blinked at him, and said as a smile spread across her own face, "Hmm, maybe I did luck out after all." Alicia looked expectantly at Lee, who leaned over and pecked her on the cheek. When she opened her mouth in indignation, he smirked and kissed her lips.

Harry and Ron came out of the locker room at that moment, with Harry putting an arm around Ginny and kissing her quickly. George motioned his head towards the castle, and he and Hermione took off with a last wave to the group. They walked in silence, just enjoying each other's company. At dinner a while later, they were joined by the rest of the group, before heading off to the library to get a jumpstart on studying for Arithmancy, grabbing their books from Gryffindor tower first. She read out of George's book, enjoying the complexity of the problems. It was much more challenging than the fifth years' work, although she still got it quite easily.

When they had been in the library for about an hour, Hermione marveled at the blackness of the sky through a window. It had gotten dark before she had noticed, and she realized that the library would be closing soon.

"Wow, look how late it is!" she exclaimed as she checked her watch. It was almost nine, and she was very surprised about that.

George checked his own watch, and said, rubbing his eyes, "You want to continue in the common room?"

She smiled at him, and said, "Why don't we just call it a night? There's always tomorrow."

"Oh goody, now I get to spend my Saturdays working too, huh?" he teased gently. Hermione fought back a yawn, quite unsuccessfully, as she packed her parchment and quills away in her book bag. George smirked at her.

"Tired, are you?" he asked. She nodded, and he said, "Well, come on, and we'll get you up to bed. You've had a long week."

"Oh, no, it's Friday night," she told him, yawning again, "I don't want to go to bed so early."

"Alright, then what do you feel up to doing?" he asked, grabbing her bag and his own.

"Hmm, I don't know," she told him honestly as they headed towards the library door. Madam Pince glared at them when the door opened with a bit more force than they had intended, as they made it creak loudly.

"Well, we could take a bit to relax," he suggested. "You know, curl up in front of the fire and not think about anything important."

"That sounds good," she said, closing her eyes and envisioning it. When they got back to the common room, George told her to wait for just a moment before he rushed out of the room. Hermione sat on a couch in front of the fire, wondering what he was up to. He came back a few minutes later, carrying something in a bowl. He told her to wait for just another few moments as he then rushed up the staircase to the boys' dorms. When he came back this time, he was carrying a blanket, with the same bowl from a few moments before in his other hand.

George sat down beside her, and covered them with the blanket. She noticed that the bowl contained her favorite fruit, strawberries.

"Oh, those are my favorites," she told him.

"Yeah, I remembered that you'd said that before," he informed her, and she smiled at his memory. Hermione had said that over a year ago, when she'd been staying at the Burrow when they went to the Quidditch World Cup. She reached for one of the strawberries in the bowl, but George caught her hand. She looked at him, puzzled for a moment. George then picked a piece of the fruit out of the bowl and fed it to her.

"Mm, that was good," she said. She reached into the bowl and pulled out a strawberry, now returning the favor. As he bit into it, a drip of juice ran down his chin and she moved forward, kissing his skin to remove it, grinning at his shocked expression before popping the rest of the strawberry into her mouth. (A/N- let's just pretend that the little leafy tops have been taken off, shall we?)

George looked thoughtful and smiled before grabbing another piece of the fruit out of the bowl. He bit off the edge, and commenced to trace Hermione's lips with the tip as he swallowed. He leaned over and kissed her, licking off the juice from around her mouth. She moaned and parted her lips slightly, deepening the kiss.

About twenty minutes later, the previously deserted common room now held not only George and Hermione, but also Harry, Ron, Ginny, Fred, Angelina, Lee, Alicia, and Katie, who were all getting back from various activities. They spotted the awaiting prey, as the snogging couple hadn't heard them arriving. Fred, Lee, Harry, and Ron all grinned, walking over to them.

"Hey, have you two ever heard of a little thing called breathing?" Ron asked sarcastically as he and Fred sat down on either side of them. George and Hermione sprung apart violently, both of them the color of red on the Gryffindor flag hanging above the fireplace.

"Oh my god, that was a tongue kiss, that was!" Fred announced loudly. The girls were trying their hardest to not laugh at the guilty expressions on their faces, but were having a very hard time of it.

"Please shut up," George said quietly, covering his face with his hands.

"There is no hope of that," Lee informed him, hanging over the back of the couch. Harry had gone to sit on the arm of the couch beside Ron, smirking at them.

Hermione muttered something under her breath about inventing a spell that made the earth open up and swallow you. Fred caught what she said, and added in the comment, "What didn't get enough of that from George?"

George groaned, and looked at Hermione. His eyes asked the question of whether or not she wanted to leave, and she nodded. He grabbed her hand, and they walked out of the common room, ignoring the comments being made by the boys. They walked quickly, down several corridors, taking several turns to the point that Hermione didn't know where they were anymore. After a few minutes, George stopped in front of a door. He took out his wand and tapped the handle, saying a quiet word that she couldn't understand. He opened the door and motioned for her to go inside, and once he was in, as well, tapped the handle again and said the same indistinguishable word.

Looking around, she discovered that this was an old classroom, which appeared to have not been used for a long time. George walked over to the fire and said, "Incendio!," to warm the chilly room. He sat down on the desk at the front of the room, looking very crestfallen. Not to mention that he looked like he wanted to kick something. Hermione sat down next to him and laced her fingers with his, giving him a comforting smile.

He sighed, and said, "Why do we have to let them bother us so much?"

"Because we're modest people," she said, "Well, when it comes to some things, anyway." She hugged him tightly, an idea forming in her mind.

When she pulled away, he asked, "What's that mischievous grin for?"

"I just had an idea. Instead of having them embarrassing us, why don't we embarrass them?" she said.

"What do you mean?" he asked with a perplexed expression.

"Well, whenever they are all around, we can kiss, and do lots of things to make them all very uncomfortable, and just not let it bother us," she told him.

"That's perfect!" George said, "I mean, we could just ignore what they say, instead."

"Exactly," said Hermione, nodding her head.

"Whatever did I do to get such an wonderful girlfriend?" he asked playfully.

"It's just your natural charm and amazing good looks," she told him, kissing him on the cheek. "So, what is this place anyway?"

"Oh, it was a Transfiguration classroom about thirty years ago. I found it in my fourth year, and I just come here to think and be alone sometimes," he informed her. She smiled at him, and looked at her watch.

"You know, we've only been gone for about ten minutes. They might still all be in the common room. Want to go test out our new hypothesis?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, let's!" George said excitedly. She had been right, she noticed, as they walked back into the common room a few minutes later. Nobody had gone up to bed yet, and the commentary started again as soon as they noticed them. Looking pointedly at the group, George leaned down and kissed Hermione on the mouth. He didn't just kiss her lightly, in goodnight, but a kiss that almost made her knees buckle. She fell back a bit, hitting the wall easily, pulling him with her. He didn't stop yet, only continued the kiss, one hand clamped around the back of her neck with his other firmly attached to her hip.

When he pulled back a few moments later, she looked into his eyes, very dazed. He smirked at her, pulling her back from the wall. Remembering their objective, Hermione turned to look at the others, who were simply staring, obviously shocked at their daring. Giving them all a very penetrating stare, she turned to head up the girls' staircase, George doing the same as he headed up the boys'. She blew a kiss at him before continuing the rest of the way up, nearly laughing at the other's expressions.

******

(A/N- See, it was longer than the last one, with snogging involved, not to mention Quidditch practice. I love it when you guys review (**_hint, hint_**). It was a bit rushed, wasn't it? I might try to fix that.

Thanks to all my reviewers:

dkg- thank you very much! I never really thought it was very good when I was writing it, so I appreciate it!

HerDarkMaterials- I have been writing this in Microsoft Word and saving the separate chaps as HTML documents, and I just write in the bold and italic stuff there

Ziegod Lizski- thanx (blush!)

Maddy- thank you very much!

starzinluv- thank you so much for recommending me to other people! The Ginny/Draco fic I am working on will be out pretty soon, but I might just work it into separate chapters so it gets out quicker. I'm am going to start working on a new twin/Hermione after I get done with this, but I haven't decided which one. Thanx again!

Veronica*James- Thank you for both of your reviews, and I love kitties too (and George, for that matter!)

heath- thank you!

Yukito Forever- I'm working on the next couple of chapters, and hopefully they'll be out pretty soon.

Hermione-Granger 62194- Actually, I'm pretty sure that the twins are only two years older than the Trio. I read your story, and it is really cute (my evil computer decided to freeze before I could review).

Alexandra- I'll email you about being in my fic, kay? Thanks for reviewing!

Next chapter: the first Arithmancy class, and plenty of fluff!!!)


	9. Arithmancy Class and Infatuation

Disclaimer- Wish I owned it, but I don't. Must go take depression pills now. Shibby! I just watched Dude, Where's My Car, and I feel like saying it: SHIBBY! Shibby, shibby, shibby, shibby, shibby, shibby, shibby!

****

Hermione's Hero

Chapter 9: Arithmancy Class and Infatuation

Wednesday afternoon, George hurriedly made his way from Charms towards Arithmancy. He was the first person in the room, and Professor Vector wasn't even there. Quickly setting his books down on his usual desk, George then rushed out of the classroom, hoping to find Hermione. His hopes were answered when he collided with something soft and warm.

"Oi," George said, rubbing his chest where Hermione's head had bumped into him.

"Sorry," Hermione said sheepishly, gingerly touching her nose to make sure that it wasn't swelling.

"Ah, I just need to watch where I go, eh, Mione?"

Hermione shrugged and smiled, helping George remove her book bag from her shoulder. "I thought you were going to save me a seat in Arithmancy," she said, giggling slightly as George slipped an arm around her waist.

"Well," George told her, "I was, but I figured I'd be a gentleman and walk you to class instead." He grinned at her as he said it, walking towards the Arithmancy classroom.

When they sat down, George watched Hermione with a bit of amusement. She had been quite tense at breakfast, and she was even more so now. George smiled as he studied her nervous habits, which included biting her nails and twirling strands of hair around her index finger. She was quite cute when she did those things.

"Relax!" George said, taking hold of Hermione's hand with an amused smile on his face.

"I'm just nervous," Hermione said slightly defensively, scrunching up her nose.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine. You are the smartest witch Hogwarts has seen in ages!" George assured her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. At that moment, Fred walked in with Lee and Alicia. George glanced at Hermione questioningly, and Hermione nodded. They had decided over breakfast on Saturday to follow through with their plans to adjust their friends to their relationship by kissing and touching (A/N- innocently!) around them whenever possible. They had done it throughout the weekend, and on Monday and Tuesday, and everyone was slowly adjusting to it.

George and Hermione leaned over and began to kiss, very thankful that Professor Vector wasn't there yet. "Hey," Fred said as he slid into a seat next to George, while Lee and Alicia grabbed seats behind them. The couple reluctantly broke apart, but, after all, they were supposed to be in class.

"Excited, Hermione?" Alicia asked.

"Very much so," Hermione replied, turning in her seat and talking with Alicia. George was glad that Hermione was making friends with his own friends. He wouldn't have wanted her to feel uncomfortable in any social situations that involved his friends, so he was happy that they all got along so well. Hermione had never really gotten along with the girls in her year, as they were so giggly and boy-crazy, and Hermione just wasn't like that. All of the girls in George's year were more mature, and could actually converse about things other than makeup and boys, so Hermione naturally got along well with them.

"Okay, class," Professor Vector said a few moments later when she arrived, "Please take out your books and turn to page 47." At this, George slid his desk right beside Hermione's, smiling at her as he placed his book in between them.

"Thanks," Hermione mouthed before giving her complete attention to Arithmancy. George grinned at her as the lesson went along, finding her behavior to be very adorable. She would bite her lip every so often as she took notes on Professor Vector's lesson, her quill moving quickly and furiously across her parchment. Every so often, a small curl of hair would fall in her face, and Hermione would blow it away, only to have to tuck it behind her ear a moment later when it got in her way again.

It was only when Professor Vector called on Hermione to answer a question that George realized he hadn't been paying attention to Arithmancy for the past twenty minutes, as he had been staring at Hermione. He sheepishly turned his eyes back to the front of the room, forcing himself to pay attention.

"Alright, now that we've covered that, I want you all to answer the questions on page 60, and finish anything you don't get done in class for homework," Professor Vector informed them.

George sat up in his chair, beginning the assignment. After a moment, he realized that it wouldn't work. As he and Hermione were both right-handed, and he was on Hermione's right side, her elbow kept bumping into his left arm.

"Sorry," Hermione said for the fourth time as she bumped George again. This time, George just moved his arm and put it on the back of Hermione's chair.

"Solves that problem, doesn't it?" he whispered, grinning. As class continued, George unconsciously moved his hand to Hermione's back, slowly stroking his thumb across her robes as he worked, sending small shivers up Hermione's spine.

The act certainly didn't go unnoticed by Lee, who promptly got Fred's attention. "Would you look at that?" he whispered, nodding at George, or rather George's hand. Both Fred and Lee made a mental note to tease George about it later.

When they bell signaling the end of class rang a few minutes later, George sighed as he looked down at his parchment. He only had a few problems left, but he had been hoping to have everything finished so he could have more time to goof off with Fred and Lee and to spend with Hermione.

"So," George asked Hermione as they exited the classroom, placing an arm around her shoulders, "do you want to go for a walk around the lake? Talk a bit?"

"I wish I could," Hermione said wistfully, sighing, "But I promised Ron that we'd work on our Defense Against the Dark Arts homework."

"Ah, no big deal," he told her, "Maybe you'd like to go after dinner? Make it a date?"

"Sounds great," she said, smiling. "Okay, I've gotta run, but I'll see you at dinner." Hermione reached up and pressed her lips to his lightly, grabbing her book bag from his shoulder at the same time, but George had other ideas. When Hermione pulled back, he caught her by the shoulder, bringing her back for a better kiss. He moved his hands up and ran them through her hair, brushing the curls back from her face. Hermione's hands sneaked around the back of his neck and played with the soft hairs at the nape of his neck, her book bag lying forgotten on the stone floor.

George pulled back from Hermione a few minutes later, a silly grin on his face. "What, couldn't wait till after dinner?" Hermione joked, raising her eyebrows.

"Not with someone as gorgeous as you for a girlfriend," George said, making her blush. "See you at dinner."

"Bye," she replied, biting her lip as she took off in giddy manner that was quite uncommon for Hermione. Throughout the kiss, George hadn't noticed Fred and Lee laughing at him from a bit further down, being unsuccessfully scolded by their girlfriends. As George walked up to them, Fred and Lee began a little playacting.

"Oh, Hermione, I love you!" Fred cried sarcastically, grabbing Lee by his shoulders and dipping him.

"I love you too George!" Lee squealed in a high falsetto. Both of them leaned closer together to imitate a kiss, when George was struck by a wonderful bit of revenge. He grabbed his wand from the inside of his robes, pointing it at Fred and Lee, who were only inches apart and looking as if they were going to carry out a snog session in the hallway.

__

"Freezus," George said simply, locking Fred and Lee in their current positions, which looked very, very bad. Angelina and Alicia burst out laughing at that.

"Always knew you were the funny one, George," Angelina said, clapping him on the shoulder. George simply shrugged as he contemplated exactly what to do with Fred and Lee to teach them a lesson they'd never forget.

Suddenly, an idea struck him. He levitated Fred and Lee, heading back in the direction of the common room. He made them follow him up the boys' staircase, where he quickly ran into his dorm, grabbing his camera from his trunk. When Fred and Lee arrived, he positioned them in proper light, snapping several photos of them in the compromising position.

As soon as he was satisfied with the snapshots, he hid the camera in an inside pocket of his robes and took out his wand, saying the counterspell, "Deliquescence!"

Fred and Lee looked at each other in fear, both of them promptly letting go of the other, causing Lee to hit the floor.

"What was just going on?" Fred asked, slowly moving away from Lee.

"You guys were teasing me about Hermione again," George said, not wanting them to have any idea of what he was planning.

"Oh, okay," Lee said uncomfortably.

"I'll see you guys in a bit," George said, leaving the dorm. He headed to the fourth year boys' dorms, where he saw one Colin Creevy about developing some pictures.

******

As Harry sat in the common room, lazily staring into the fire, he felt a pair of small, warm hands cover his eyes. "Guess who?" asked a familiar voice.

"Hmm," Harry said, "I wonder who it could be? Neville?"

"Nope."

"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry continued.

"Nooo."

"Ron," Harry said, grinning.

"Getting closer."

"You know, I don't think I will ever be able to guess," Harry said sarcastically, pulling Ginny's hands down and kissing them. Ginny rested her chin on the back of the couch, and Harry placed a soft kiss on her lips.

"What are you doing?" Ginny asked as she came and sat beside him on the couch.

"Just being bored out of my wits," he replied, running both hands through his hair.

"Anything I can do about that?" she asked playfully as she set her head down on his lap and took off his glasses.

"I think so," Harry said, leaning down and kissing her again. He shivered as he felt Ginny's fingers run along the curve of his ears and slip into his hair, getting effectively tangled. Harry slowly scooted towards the arm of the couch, picking Ginny up slightly and resting her against it and putting her on his lap to make the kiss easier for both of them, never breaking lip contact. He placed his hand against her side, slowly stroking along her waist and moving his lips to deepen the kiss.

"Ugh!" said a very clearly disgusted voice from the portrait hole. Harry broke off the kiss and looked up to see Ron standing there with Hermione, but quickly lost sight of them as Ginny pulled his head back down to continue their kiss.

"Honestly, do you two HAVE to snog right here in the common room?" Ron asked exasperatedly as he flung himself down into a chair very far away from them. Harry and Ginny finally quit kissing, both slightly out of breath.

"Well Ron," Hermione said, obviously amused by the entire situation, "Would you rather they went up into the dorms?"

"Yes!" Ron said, until he realized the full implications of Hermione's statement, turning red as he did so. "Wait, no! They had bloody well better not!" Harry, Ginny, and Hermione were all giggling uncontrollably, and Ron was practically glowing from to the amount of blood that had rushed to his face.

As Hermione began to roll on the floor in laughter, the portrait hole opened again. George walked in, surveying the scene with genuine curiosity. "Um, what exactly is so funny that my girlfriend is now convulsing on the floor?" he asked, his eyebrows raised. This just sent everyone into the giggles even more, except for Ron, who just looked irritated.

"I walked into on Ginny and Harry snogging AGAIN, Hermione made a smart-mouthed comment, and now they won't stop," Ron informed him, rolling his eyes.

Hermione picked herself up off of the floor, her laughter beginning to subside. "Okay, I'm fine," she said, breathing heavily, leaning on George for support, the occasional chuckle escaping her still.

"You ready for dinner?" George asked Hermione.

"Sure am," she replied, smiling at him as she took the arm he offered. As they walked out of the room, Harry helped Ginny off of his lap, standing along with her.

"You guys hungry?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah," Ron replied, rubbing his rumbling stomach. "Although how I'll be able to eat after seeing that nauseating sight, I don't know."

"Yeah, yeah," Harry said, grinning at his friend.

"Oh, hey guys," said a voice from the girls' staircase. It was Parvati Patil, who was walking down with Lavender Brown and Alexandra Nichols. Alexandra had transferred to Hogwarts at the beginning of the year, from the Salem Witches' Institute in America. She was a tall, thin, blonde girl, with bright green eyes and a great sense of humor; Alexandra was quite pretty.

"Hi Ron," Alexandra said shyly.

"H-hi," Ron said, stuttering slightly. Harry knew that Ron fancied Alexandra, from the way that he blushed around her and that he had heard Ron saying a mumbled something that, while he wasn't sure, sounded a lot like Alexandra in his sleep. Harry raised his eyebrows at Ginny, who was also observing the behavior of her brother.

At dinner, Ron was occasionally sneaking glances at Alexandra. "Hey Ron," Harry leaned over and whispered, "Why don't you ask her out? I mean, it's obvious that you like her."

"What!?!" Ron asked, a little too loudly. He promptly turned red when half of the table turned to look at him, and continued in a much more modest tone, "I don't like her; I have no idea what you're on about."

"Yes you do, Ron," Ginny interjected.

"I do not!" he insisted quietly.

"Ron, I have six older brothers. I have seen this behavior from Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, and George, plus you with that whole Hermione thing last year. I know what my brothers look like when they fancy a girl," Ginny told him.

"Alright, well, maybe I do a little," he admitted.

"Atta boy," Harry said, "Now go talk to her."

"I don't know," Ron said nervously.

"Look, just go ask her out before I do it for you," Harry said. "After all, you saw how well that worked for you last year."

"Okay, fine, I'll do it," Ron said, sounding very defeated. Harry grinned as he stood up, heading over to the group of girls seated a bit down from them.

Harry and Ginny watched as Ron talked with Alexandra for five minutes before waving goodbye to all the girls and heading back. "Well, what'd she say?" Ginny asked expectantly.

"Did you ask her out?" Harry asked.

"I did," Ron told them, grinning broadly, "We're going out Friday."

"Oh, that's great Ron!" Ginny said, giving him a hug.

"Alright, way to go, mate," Harry told him, slapping him on the back.

"So what are you going to do?" Ginny asked.

"Um…," Ron said, thinking.

"What about a picnic by the lake?" Harry suggested.

"Oh, cool! Great idea, Harry," Ron said.

"It's really good to see that you are finally dating," Ginny told him. "I mean, Bill and Charlie were joking about disowning you if you didn't find a girlfriend this year. I'm pretty sure they were just joking, anyway."

******

After dinner, Hermione and George headed for the lake. They slowly strolled around it, watching the giant squid lazily move it's tentacles across the moon-lit water.

Hermione shivered slightly, rubbing her arms. It was rather chilly, and she hadn't brought a warm enough cloak. "Are you cold?" George asked, taking off his cloak.

"No, I-I'm fine," she replied, her teeth chattering slightly as she pushed his cloak away.

"Take it; it's freezing," he said, holding it out to her again. She sighed, and nodded.

"Won't you be cold?" she asked as he put the cloak over her shoulders.

"Cold never bothered me much," George replied (Does anyone know where I just got that? Anyone at all? If not, well shame on all of you for not knowing terrific '80s movies!). They walked around for a while in amiable silence, just enjoying each other's company.

After a bit, as they approached a great willow tree, George asked, "Would you like to sit down for a bit?"

"Oh, sure," Hermione said. George helped her sit down, before settling himself down next to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "It's really beautiful out here tonight, isn't it?" she asked, looking up to the half-moon.

"Yeah," George replied, settling his head on her shoulder. Hermione placed a soft kiss on his hair before settling her cheek against him. It wasn't long at all before she fell asleep.

"Hermione?" George asked softly, not noticing that she had drifted off. "Mione?" He turned his head slightly and took note of her deep, even breathing, deducing that she was asleep.

Chuckling slightly, he gently placed one arm against her back and hooked his other under her knees, lifting her off the ground. Hermione stirred a bit but did not wake, nuzzling her face into George's chest. He walked slowly back to Gryffindor Tower, giving the password quietly as to not wake her.

"Is she okay?" asked Ginny quietly as they entered the common room.

"She fell asleep," George whispered, smiling down at the slumbering girl in his arms. He walked up the stairs to the girls' dorms, knocking quietly with his foot on the door that read: "Fifth Years." When nobody answered, he knocked again, opening the door when it wasn't answered. None of the occupants were currently in the room, thankfully.

George gently set Hermione down on her bed, unfastening the cloaks from around her neck and pulling her blanket up to her shoulders. He sat down on the side of her bed for a moment, softly stroking her hair as he watched her sleep. Her silky chestnut curls fell against her pillows, illuminated by the half-light. Her lips were curled in a small smile as she dreamt, and her long, dark eyelashes kissed her creamy cheeks lightly.

It was then that a sudden realization came to George: he was falling in love with her. As the thought entered his mind, he smiled, closing his eyes dreamily. George gently placed a kiss on Hermione's forehead and whispered, "Good night, my Hermione." He glanced back at the sleeping girl as he closed the door quietly, his smile widening.

He briskly walked down the stairs and nonchalantly waved to the group of his friends by the fire, heading up to his own dorm without a word. When he arrived, he settled himself down onto his bed without any of his usual vigor, staring up at the ceiling like it was the most interesting thing in the world. He laughed happily, and said quietly to himself, "I am falling in love with Hermione Granger."

******

(A/N- AHHHHHH! OMG! I wasn't even planning for that to happen, it just flew right out of my fingers! This is turning into one big piece of fluff! I realized that I hadn't done any Harry/Ginny stuff for quite a while, so I figured I'd put that in.

I know, I know, George didn't get any ACTUAL revenge on Fred and Lee, but it's coming. Don't you worry!

In case nobody knew, the whole, "Cold never bothered me much," line came from one of my favorite movies of all time: Spaceballs. It's a Mel Brooks movie, with John Candy, Rick Moranis, and, of course, Mel Brooks. You see, it all starts out with Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis) trying to kidnap Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga) when she runs out on her wedding so that President Skroob (Mel Brooks) can steal all of the air from Planet Druidia… wait, what was I talking about? Oh, right, the author's notes for this chapter of my story! Sorry…

Anyway, I added someone to this chapter: Alexandra Nichols! (see Alexandra! That'd be you!!) I figured that Ron needed some action, so I decided to throw him a frickin' bone (sorry, I just watched Austin Powers, and Dr. Evil has a bad influence over me). The name is for one of my readers, Alexandra, who requested to be in the story. I am really sorry if anyone else wanted to be in this, but I don't think there are any other character openings. Anyway, I hope you all liked this chapter (I know I loved writing it! Tee hee!).

Thanks to my reviewers:

Tracy- I hope you liked the class!

PracticalPrincess- thanx for both reviews, and I hope you like the adjectives

DevilFireEyes- yes, it is ma'am, and don't worry, I wouldn't end it any other way.

Uberscully- hee, cute name! I'm glad I can cheer people up with my stuff. I don't really like angst very much, I am a fluffy girl!

deemarie- thank you very much, I tried on the natural progression part (don't know if that is attained _here!_). I haven't ever personally had THIS serious of a boyfriend, so I hope it seems okay.

Danielle~ Fawkes- thanks for the review!

Veronica*James- thank you very much!

Maddy- I hope you found this funny too (I know I laughed writing it!)

~gabby~- thanks, I'll try to keep it going quickly

Kirjava- thanks, I hope that wasn't a _bad_ interesting!

ches- thank you lots!

*Awful soap opera V.O. inserted here* _Next time, on Hermione's Hero:_ Ron's date, plenty of snogging, George's revenge, and people talking about their feelings! Whoopee!)


	10. Ron's Got a Girlfriend! Ron's Got a Gir...

Disclaimer- You know, I am not even going to say it. And after the shibbys in the last chapter, I have something new to say: Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! I am the Knight… that says Ni!

Early A/N- I know I put these at the end of the chapter, but I just wanted to let you guys know this- I wasn't planning on posting this for a couple of days, but I felt generous, so here it is. Aw, heck, I just want more reviews! I have over sixty! SIXTY! Go me (nothing like a little shameless self promotion!)

****

Hermione's Hero

Chapter 10: Ron's Got A Girlfriend! Ron's Got A Girlfriend!

George happily walked through the corridors, heading for the Gryffindor Tower, where he was meeting with Fred and Lee. The pictures he had taken had come out great, and he was glad that he had such a wonderful blackmail tool.

He quickly reached his dorm, where Fred and Lee were sitting on their beds, talking about what George could need to see them about in private. "Glad you're both here," George said brightly as settled down on his own bed, reaching inside his robes.

"What's up, George?" Fred asked, raising himself from his prone position onto his elbows.

"Well, I have a little proposition for you guys," he said, grinning from ear to ear.

"What is it? A new prank?" Lee asked.

"Actually, it goes more along the lines of blackmail," George told them, examining his fingernails.

"What?" Fred asked, confused.

"Well, you remember the other day, when you guys were making fun of me and Hermione again?"

"Yeah," Lee said warily.

"Well, you remember what it looked like? That you guys were about to kiss?"

Fred and Lee looked at each other, horrified. "Yeah," Fred said, swallowing very audibly.

"Well, wouldn't that look pretty funny in a picture?" With that, George tossed a picture to each of them. Fred and Lee, once they had seen the image the photo contained, commenced to rip the pictures to shreds.

"Oh, come now, you think those are all I have? Hardly!"

"What do you want?" Lee asked solemnly.

"I want you guys to stop teasing me about Hermione. If you don't, a copy of that will be handed to every person in the school," George informed them. "Do we have a deal?"

Fred and Lee looked at each other fearfully for a second, and said, "Deal."

******

When classes were over on Friday, Ron was particularly nervous. His date with Alexandra was coming up, and he was looking forward to it very much. Ginny had been right, though. It was about time he started dating. Every single one of his brothers (aside from Percy, but Percy was weird!) had started dating before he had. Bill had gone on his first date in his _third_ year, for Merlin's sake! Even Ginny had a boyfriend now, in her fourth year, although the idea still didn't thrill Ron, whether it was Harry or not.

Ron quickly put on a pair of trousers and a dark blue sweater. Hermione and Ginny had spent quite a while in the fifth year boys' dorm picking out his clothes, as they decided he needed help. He couldn't help but agree with them. Ginny, Harry, and Hermione had also set up the picnic outside by the lake.

Harry walked in the room, grinning at Ron as he surveyed his appearance in the mirror on the back of the door of his wardrobe. Ron tried to smooth his hair down, to no avail. "Ugh," he said quietly, tugging on his red locks.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, an eyebrow raised.

"My hair is just so… blah!" Ron informed him, not choosing to elaborate on his statement.

Harry thought for a moment, and suddenly stood up from his prone position on his bed. "Hold on a sec," he said, holding up a finger. Ron nodded and went back to working with his hair.

Harry returned a few moments later with Ginny. "What's up?" she asked.

"Ron doesn't like his hair," Harry informed her. Ginny walked up to her brother and told him to turn around so she could determine what needed to be done.

"Okay," she said a moment later. "Harry, get me some hair gel and a towel, please." Harry quickly walked into the bathroom, returning with a clear tube and a towel a few moments later. "Sit down," Ginny told Ron, motioning to his bed.

He did as he was told, shooting a nervous glance at Harry as Ginny placed the soft towel over his shoulders. Harry simply shrugged, sitting on his own bed to watch his girlfriend at work.

"Alright, if you don't like what I do, I can fix it with a simple cleansing spell," Ginny said, squeezing a clear, gooey liquid out of the tube and rubbing it in between her hands. She set to work quickly, and Ron was a little worried. He never bothered with hair goo, and he really didn't see it working for him.

"Done!" Ginny told him a few minutes later, taking the towel from Ron's neck and wiping her hands free of the sticky substance. Ron quickly stood up from his bed and stared at the mirror in awe.

His normally 'blah' hair was spiked up slightly, making him look much more handsome than he usually did. His light blue eyes stood out more so than normal, and he couldn't believe the results.

"Wow," he said simply, raising a hand to touch his crimson hair.

"It's amazing what a little hair gel can do, isn't it?" Ginny asked, giving him a peck on the cheek. "Now, hurry up, or you'll be late."

"Good luck, mate," Harry said, grinning, "Everything's set up for you." Ron quickly started down the stairs, but thought better of leaving Harry and Ginny alone in the dorm room. He marched back, finding them in the middle of a kiss.

"Alright, we're having none of that," he said, glaring at them. Harry and Ginny laughed, remembering Hermione's comment from Wednesday night, and Ron's reaction to said comment.

"Okay, we're coming," Ginny said, taking Harry's hand. The three of them went to the common room, where Ron's breath caught in his throat. Alexandra was absolutely gorgeous. Her long, blonde hair was swept back with a clip, with a few strands hanging around her face to frame it. She was only wearing a bit of makeup, with her full lips painted a rosy pink. She was wearing a pale green blouse with a scooped neckline, a knee length black skirt, and a pair of platform sandals.

"Hi," she said, nervously smoothing her skirt.

"Hi," Ron replied. "You, um, you look really pretty," he told her.

"You look pretty good yourself," Alexandra told him with a cute smile.

"Um, are you ready to go?" Ron asked, swallowing.

"Oh, yeah," she said, smiling. On an impulse, Ron offered her his arm, and she took it, much to his surprise. He shot a last look back to Harry and Ginny for support, and they both smiled at him.

They walked silently through the halls and across the grounds, finally stopping in front of the picnic basket that had been set up. Harry, Hermione, and Ginny had lit the area with a few sparse candles that were unlit, seeing as it was not yet dark, and set a basket that they had obviously filled with food from the kitchens. The setting sun reflected on the water of the lake, and it was a very romantic setup.

"Oh, wow, this is terrific, Ron," Alexandra said as she sat down on the blanket.

"Well, I had a bit of help," Ron admitted, blushing slightly. He neglected to tell Alexandra that he had had nothing to do with it. They pulled out the dishes that had been set in the basket, along with several bottles of butterbeer.

As they ate, they talked, and realized that they got along quite well. "Okay, so which is your favorite Quidditch team?" Ron asked.

"Well," Alexandra said, "My favorite North American team is the Sweetwater All Stars, but in Europe, I like the Chudley Cannons."

Ron choked on his butterbeer. "You like the Cannons?"

"I love them," Alexandra said, "I mean, I know they haven't won the Cup in a really, really, really long time, but I still think they're great."

"The Chudley Cannons are my favorite team ever!" Ron told her enthusiastically.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah!" he replied, grinning. "My room at home is done in all orange."

"Did you see their last match?" Alexandra asked happily. "I mean, they went down by two hundred points, but that Porskoff Ploy was awesome!"

"Wasn't it?" Ron replied, amazed that he had found someone who was seemingly as big of a Cannons fan as he was.

They talked, mostly about Quidditch, until around 10:00, when they decided that they had better get back so they wouldn't be late for curfew. When they got back into the Gryffindor common room, Ron walked Alexandra to the girls' staircase, where they said goodnight.

"I had a really good time tonight, Ron," Alexandra said, smiling.

"Me too," Ron said, "Maybe you'd like to go out again next weekend?"

"I'd love to," she replied. In a move that not only shocked Ron, but also Alexandra herself, she leaned down and gently pressed her lips to his. "Night, Ron," she said as she started walking up the stairs.

Ron, looking very dazed and happy at the same time, collapsed into an armchair by the fire and pressed his fingers to his lips. Sure, he had kissed girls before, but that was different. He couldn't even put into words what he was feeling.

Seeing as he had been so wrapped up in his inner monologue, Ron hadn't noticed the presence of Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, or George. They had all waited up for him.

"Look at that!" Fred crooned jovially. "Our ickle Ronniekins is growing up!" He wiped at his eyes sarcastically.

"It's such a special moment in his life!" George added, both he and Fred breaking down into fake tears. Ron was growing redder by the second.

"Just shut it, will you?" he asked, sinking down into his chair.

"Yeah, come on, that's not right to do that to Ron," Hermione said, not laughing at all.

"Hermione's right," Harry said soberly. "There is really only one thing to do right now."

Fred and George had stopped with their fake hysterics, and every one of them looked back and forth from one to another. On an unspoken count, all five teenagers broke into a chorus of, "Ron's got a girlfriend! Ron's got a girlfriend!"

Ron buried his face in his hands and moaned exasperatedly as they continued the loud strain of what was now their favorite song. A few moments later they stopped singing, instead opting to laugh about it.

"It's not funny," Ron said, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter. Even he had gotten a kick out of it.

When things had calmed down a bit, Hermione asked, "So how did it go?"

"Incredible," Ron said, grinning once again. "Alexandra is really smart, and nice, and guess who her favorite Quidditch team is? The Chudley Cannons! I mean, we just talked and talked, and we got along really well, and we're gonna go out again this weekend! Isn't that fantastic?" Ron said all of that really fast.

Ginny, who was sitting closest to Ron, rubbed her ear and said, "Yeah, that's great, Ron."

"Fab," said Fred, who was sitting on Ron's other side.

"Alright," Ron said, "I'm gonna go to bed. Night, all." With that he happily zipped up the stairs, quickly brushing his teeth and changing into his pajamas before he hopped into bed. Things were really looking up for Ron.

******

A few weeks later, Hermione hummed an unidentifiable song as she did her homework. She was really happy for Ron. He had been going out with Alexandra several times a week, and they had become an official couple the past Wednesday.

She was also glad Harry and Ginny's relationship was going well. They had their little squabbles every now and then, but they were, in actuality, perfect for each other.

But out of all the relationships around her, the one she was in was the best of all. She and George were immensely happy together, and very comfortable. Their plan to adjust all of their friends to them had worked like a charm, as they could now kiss, hold hands, or just act like a normal couple in front of them without anyone saying anything.

The feelings Hermione had for George had been growing over the past few weeks, and she hadn't been able to determine what they were for a while. When she had figured it out, she had been sitting in the common room, talking with Parvati, Lavender, Ginny, and Alexandra, but not paying any attention to what was being said. She had just been watching George as the Quidditch team had held a meeting, observing everything about him.

She overheard a few words of the conversation around her, and understood. "And so then Adrian takes her in his arms and looks really deep into her eyes and says, 'I love you.' It was so sweet!" said Parvati. Hermione knew from that moment that she was falling in love with George Weasley. She hadn't ever felt that way about anyone before, and it was still amazing to know.

"Hey, Mione," said Harry, sitting in the chair next to hers, interrupting her from her reverie.

"Hi," Hermione said, smiling at him. "What's up?"

"Oh, not a lot," he said, leaning back in his chair. "Whatcha working on?"

"Just that Potions essay Snape assigned," she told him, closing her book and rubbing her eyes.

"Alright," Harry said, "Tell me what you think about Ron and Alexandra."

"I am so happy for Ron," Hermione said, "I mean, I know he's been lonely and has felt left out without a girlfriend, and he's crazy about her."

"Yeah, it's great, isn't it? All three of us in happy relationships," he added with a smile.

"Speaking of happy relationships, how's it going with you and Ginny?"

"We're doing great," Harry said, "I mean, I love just spending time with her and hanging out."

"Yeah," Hermione said dreamily, staring off into the fire with a glazed look over her happy face.

"What about you and George?" Harry asked. "You two are pretty cozy."

"I know," she told him, "George is such a wonderful boyfriend. We can just talk for hours about absolutely nothing, and have the time of our lives sitting around the fire and not doing anything." She bit her lip for a moment and contemplated something, leaning in closer to Harry and lowering her voice. "Can I tell you something, Harry?"

"Sure, Mione, what is it?"

"Can I trust you to not tell a single soul about this? Not even Ginny?" she asked nervously.

"Yeah," he said, looking around to make sure nobody was listening in. "What is it?"

Noticing the serious look on his face, Hermione smiled and said, "It's not anything bad, I just don't want anyone knowing about it."

Harry let out a sigh of relief. "Good. I thought maybe you were in trouble or something. What is it?"

"Okay," Hermione said quietly, clearing her throat. "I, um, I'm falling in love with George."

"Really?" Harry asked excitedly. "That's great! I am so happy for you!" He gave her a big hug, grinning broadly. When she pulled back, a few tears had fallen from her eyes, but she was nearly laughing in joy.

"I have been wanting to tell someone so badly!" she said, leaning back in her chair and biting her lip.

"That is so wonderful, Mione," he said, getting caught up in her infectious happiness. "So you haven't told George yet, then?"

"Nope," she said, shaking her head. "I don't want to freak him out or anything. I mean, we've only been dating for a couple of months now."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Harry said as he nodded his head.

"Oh!" Hermione said suddenly, checking her watch, "Speaking of George, I've got to go meet him! Bye Harry!"

"See you, Mione," he replied to the retreating form of Hermione. She quickly ducked out of the portrait hole, heading down towards the third-floor corridor, where George hod asked her to meet him. She looked around for a moment, not seeing George anywhere, until she felt a strong arm slip around her waist from behind. She quickly spun around to come face to face with the expected George.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Hermione said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Sorry," George said, grinning at her. "I guess I'll just have to make it up to you." Hermione was just about to ask how, when George found her lips with his own. Hermione kissed him back passionately, threading her fingers through his hair.

George pulled back after a moment or twenty and kissed a line along her jaw. He nipped at her earlobe gently before kissing her neck, licking against her pulse point.

"George…?" Hermione asked breathlessly, remembering where they were.

"Mmm?" he mumbled against her neck, the vibrations sending shivers through her whole body.

"Did you have a specific reason for wanting to meet here, or did you just want to make ou-" She was cut off as George kissed her lips again.

"There's a reason," he said, taking her hands. "Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?"

Hermione stared at him incredulously for a moment. "George, it's Sunday. We can't go to Hogsmeade! We'll get in trouble!"

"Oh, no we won't. I promise, if we get caught, I'll take the blame. Say that I forced you."

"Well that's no good, either. Then you'll be too busy with detention to spend any time with me," she told him jokingly.

"Come on," George said, giving her his puppy-dog eyes. "Pwease?"

"George…," Hermione said, her resolve wavering a bit.

"Pwease Hermie?" he asked, sniffling.

"Fine," she said exasperatedly, rolling her eyes, "But don't ever call me 'Hermie' again."

"Deal," George replied, grinning as he wrapped an arm around Hermione's waist. He led her a bit down the hall, to a statue of one-eyed, hump-backed witch. He pulled out his wand and tapped the hump, saying, "Dissendium!"

With that, the hump opened up, and George began to lower himself through. "Just wait till I call up to you, okay?" And with that, he dropped out of sight.

A moment later, Hermione heard him call to her. She quickly looked around to be sure nobody could see her, and once satisfied that nobody could, she also dropped herself into the hump. She slid down what felt like some sort of slide, only to fall into George's outstretched arms a few moments later. It was very dark, and she couldn't see more than a few feet away from her.

Quickly pulling out her wand, Hermione said a low, "Lumos," to illuminate the area. It turned out to be some sort of a tunnel. After a few moments, George still hadn't put her down. He was just staring intently into her eyes, a strange expression on his face.

"George?" she asked weakly a few moments later.

"Yeah?" he replied, not looking away from her.

"Are you going to put me down?" George blinked suddenly, realizing exactly what he was doing.

"Oh, uh, yeah, sorry bout that," he said, setting her down on her feet. "Uh, come on," he told her, taking her hand and beginning to walk.

As they went down the earthy tunnel, Hermione was busy trying to decipher the look that had been on George's face. It was one she had never seen before, from him or anyone. She had absolutely no idea what it had meant.

Hermione had hardly noticed that any time had passed as she had been so deeply involved in her thoughts. She didn't notice anything different about the pathway, either, until she tripped on a stair.

"Ow," she said, rubbing her forehead.

"Are you okay, Mione?" George asked concernedly, helping her up.

"I'm fine," Hermione said, "I just bruised my ego a little bit."

"Poor baby," George said, gently kissing her forehead where she had been rubbing it.

"Are we almost there?"

"Just up these stairs," he told her, taking her hand again. They walked quickly up the stone staircase, George putting his hand out in front of them after about 200 stairs. Suddenly, the sound of George's hand hitting wood could be heard. "We're here." George opened a trap door above them and peered out. There was nobody there, so he opened it all the way.

"Welcome, my dear, to Honeydukes' cellar." Together they walked up another set of stairs, sneaking out of a door into the shop. Luckily, there were several people keeping the shopkeeper busy, so they weren't noticed.

They poked around in the shop, eventually buying plenty of Ice Mice, Pepper Imps, Toothflossing Stringmints (Hermione's parents absolutely adored them), Fizzing Whizbees, and Jelly Slugs.

Once done at Honeydukes, they headed down to Zonko's, where George drooled over the gags and jokes. Although Hermione didn't buy anything, George stocked up on Dungbombs and Filibuster Fireworks, which he claimed he was running out of. Hermione figured otherwise, but didn't say anything.

It was starting to get late, so Hermione suggested that they head over to the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer. "Good idea," George said as they began to walk towards the pub. They sat down at a table and gave their orders to a waitress, talking about random topics, starting one of their long, rambling conversations that Hermione loved so much.

They finished their butterbeers after about twenty minutes, deciding that they should head back before Honeydukes closed and they had to sneak back through the main gates, where they were more than likely to be caught by a teacher.

As they were walking down the tunnel, Hermione said, "Thank you very much for convincing me to go to Hogsmeade, George."

"No problem," he said, grinning. "Did you have fun?"

"I sure did," she told him. "We should do that again sometime."

"Wow, I must be a really bad influence on you," George said. "I mean, here you are, talking about breaking school rules, going back into Hogsmeade…"

"Ah," she said simply, waving him off.

"You know, I think I like you like this," he told her jokingly, kissing the back of her hand.

"Yeah, you know, the whole 'bad-girl' image," Hermione said sarcastically.

"You know that's not what I mean. You've just become more laid back, less tense," George said.

"I know," she said, "And I don't think you were a bad influence. I think you were a terrific influence."

******

(A/N- well that was sweet! I think Hogsmeade was written weirdly, and I'm sorry bout that. I know, not many snogs, either. But it was pretty long! If you can't tell, I bought Quidditch Through the Ages recently, and I did NOT make up the Sweetwater All Stars. They are supposedly from Texas (YAY!!!), and when it was written had just broken through to the International league.

Yes, I had been planning for Hermione to be falling in love with George, well, at least as soon as I figured out that he was falling for her. And I thought the whole 'Ron's got a girlfriend' thing was pretty funny! As you can see, I named the chapter after it (okay, that was because I couldn't think of anything better to use. I couldn't think of anything else at all, for that matter.).

If you are reading the Disclaimers, which _I_ think have been pretty funny, that came from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, one of the greatest movies of all time (well, Monty Python movies, anyway!)

Well, anyway, thanks to my reviewers:

Angelgirl89uk- woo hoo! Thanks, I enjoyed writing every minute

Practical Princess- yeah, I'm all about the romance * grin *

DevilFireEyes- I know what you mean about the withdrawls (* ack, gasp *). So it wasn't really Ron _tormenting_, but he got teased real good! I don't think I'm gonna kill him off, though…

Veronica*James- I think I saw The Great Outdoors a long time ago, but I don't remember (I'm off to the video store!). I agree, humor is great!

angelsmelody13- oh yeah, power to the home-schooled! Thank you very much!

Maddy- did you like the revenge?

Michelle- sorry, I don't have a dance planned (dancing, but no dance!) Sorry…

Aphrodite- alright! Thank you! I love Hr/R, too, but I just have to ride on the SS Dungbombs and SPEW!

Camisole- I know what you mean about the lack of internet. The last time I went on vacation, I almost took my computer with me (and seeing as it's not a laptop, that would have been pretty difficult!) I thought Ron could use a girl, too, and there she is! And believe me, she IS NOT a Mary-Sue type! I am NOTHING like that!

Freak like me- aww, thanks!

Next time you hear from me (hopefully pretty soon), you will see: George gets a letter, lots of fluffy snogs, and Ginny gets a hickey!)


	11. Of Letters and Love Bites

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry Potter. There, I said it! Are you happy now?

****

Hermione's Hero

Chapter 11: Of Letters and Love Bites

Minutes changed to hour, hours changed to days, and days changed to weeks. As the temperatures dropped and snow began to drift from the skies, George fell completely, utterly, hopelessly in love with Hermione.

As he had known from the instant he realized he was falling in love, it wasn't just some silly, childish ordeal. Even though adults always say that teenagers know nothing of real love, George just knew. That is what it was.

Although it was a wonderful feeling, it drove George to the brink of insanity. He was sure that Hermione couldn't possibly be feeling these things yet. Not that he figured himself any more mature than she was, because oh boy he didn't, it was because he had fallen in love in three months. Nobody ever falls in love in just three months. So he didn't tell her. He didn't want to freak her out and send her running for the hills. Hermione was a logical person, and this would certainly affect their relationship.

George was going crazy, however. He had no idea what he should do in his situation, as he had never experience it before. He had told Fred and Lee, and they had fought really hard against making fun of him, as his blackmail still stood. He didn't want to ask his parents, as his Mum would most certainly go ballistic and start planning the wedding, and his Dad would act as other adults and tell him that it wasn't love, just infatuation. So George did the next logical thing: he decided to ask his older brothers.

Bill wasn't a good choice to ask, as he was a playboy from the word go, and would probably never settle down. Percy, even though he had claimed to be in love with Penelope when he was a year younger than George, he still would probably play the mature adult. The best option was clearly Charlie.

Charlie had met a girl in Romania, who was also studying dragons. They had fallen in love in a matter of months, and they got engaged on their sixth-month anniversary. Charlie would understand matters like these. So George had written to him a week prior, and told him what was going on. He had asked him a few questions, and to not tell anyone. George got his reply over breakfast.

He sat in his usual place, in between Fred and Hermione, joking, laughing, talking, and being his usual, boisterous self. When the owls came, he didn't even look up, as he wasn't expecting anything. He did, however, get a letter, which landed right in his oatmeal.

"Ugh," he said, wiping mush off of a corner. He flipped it over to find Charlie's handwriting, and was very pleased.

"Who's it from?" Fred asked sleepily.

"Oh, I wrote to Charlie, and he just sent me a letter back is all," George told him, tucking the letter into his robes. He didn't want to read it around all of these people.

After a moment, he got too anxious to wait to read Charlie's response, so he decided that he'd duck into the boys' bathroom and read it before class.

"You know what?" he said to the group of people around him. "I left a book in the dorm that I need to get before class. I'll see you all in a bit."

"Bye, George," Hermione said, kissing him on the cheek. George had other plans. He framed her face in his hands and kissed her deeply, the euphoria of his feelings being too much for a simple peck on the cheek.

When he pulled back from a dazed Hermione a few moments later, he said, "I'll see you later," and kissed the tip of her nose. He quickly walked to the nearest bathroom, hurrying inside a stall and locking it. There wasn't anyone else there, but it was an added safety precaution.

George took the letter from the inside of his robes and opened the envelope, eager to read Charlie's response.

Dear George,

The first thing I must say is congratulations! From what you wrote, you really are in love. Don't worry, I won't tell anybody, as I know that this is a very private thing. While it is a bit early, if you really are in love, those things don't matter.

Now, my advice to you is to not wait very long to tell Hermione, even if you think she doesn't feel the same. It is never good to keep these things from people, as it can just make things bad. If Hermione doesn't want to be with you after you tell her, then you weren't meant to be. But just from what you've told me, I don't think she will want to break up.

Good luck with this George, as women are a very difficult species to deal with. Much worse than dragons, in most cases. Just remember, always stay true to your word, treat her as if she is the most special thing ever, and NEVER make fun of her hair. Follow these rules and you are pretty much good to go. I am very proud of you, and it sounds like you are growing up. Way to go.

Love,

Charlie

George knew that he'd have no problems with Charlie's advice. He would never break his word to Hermione, and he had known for _years_ to not make fun of her hair. And he wouldn't even have to try to treat her as if she was the most special thing ever, because, to George, she was.

After he read through the letter a couple more times, George carefully tucked it back into his pocket and left the bathroom. He decided to follow Charlie's advice and tell Hermione. Even thought the idea scared the stuffing out of him, he knew that it must be done.

As he walked towards Transfiguration, George decided when and how to do it. A sudden idea struck him, and he thought it was a terrific one. He would tell Hermione after the Quidditch match the next weekend! After the match, he could take her to Hogsmeade (it was an ACTUAL Hogsmeade weekend), and then they could come back and go stargazing on top of the Astronomy Tower. And then he could tell her! It was a terrific plan, and George couldn't wait.

******

Ron walked through the corridors at Hogwarts quickly, as he was to meet Alexandra for a study date in the library, and he was late enough as it was, as Snape had decided to hold him back to accuse him of stealing things from his private stores. As he entered the library, the chilly air washed over him, and he cursed the cold climate. Ron was not a 'cold' person, and he always hated the freezing temperatures.

He found Alexandra sitting at a table in the back, hidden behind some bookshelves. She looked at him in irritation before turning back to her book. "You're late," she said simply.

"I'm sorry, Snape held me back," he explained, dropping in the seat next to hers.

"Why?" she asked, looking back up at him.

"He is convinced that I stole something from his private stores. I honestly think he was just trying to get me to tell him anything at all so he could give me a detention. He _hates_ me!" Ron informed her, sneering at the table.

Alexandra looked sheepish. "Sorry for being irritated with you. I just figured you had gotten caught up in a game of chess or something and had forgotten that you were supposed to meet me."

"Nope," Ron said, sliding his chair closer to Alexandra's. "What are you working on now?"

"Charms," Alexandra said, sliding her book closer towards Ron so he could see it. "We're supposed to read through the next section."

"Oh, okay," Ron said, putting an arm around her shoulders and beginning to read. As they scanned the page together, Ron breathed in the scent of Alexandra's perfume, letting it wash over his senses. They both reached to turn the page at the same time, their hands touching.

When their eyes locked, both knew that it was the end of studying that afternoon for them. Ron leaned in and kissed Alexandra, running his hands through her baby-fine hair. She kissed back energetically, the corners of her mouth upturned in a small smile.

Ron felt as if he were flying. Of course, this was much better than flying. He moved his hands down to Alexandra's waist, pulling her closer to him until her own chair had been forgotten and she was sitting on Ron's lap, her hands now tangled in his fiery locks.

"Excuse me, Mr. Weasley, Miss Nichols, but I will not tolerate that kind of behavior in the library," said a voice behind them. Ron and Alexandra broke apart, turning to find Madame Pince, the strict librarian standing over them. They quickly grabbed their books and dashed out of the library, trying not to laugh.

When they got into the hall, both of them now laughing their heads off, they leaned against a wall for support. Once they had both regained the power of speech, Ron looked at Alexandra and raised his eyebrows.

"Astronomy Tower?" he asked, to which Alexandra nodded quickly. He took her hand and they nearly sprinted through the corridors, ready to continue what they had started.

******

Harry walked into the common room to find Ginny sitting all by herself, reading. He was just getting back from Quidditch practice. The others had all gone off to do other things, so he had decided to find Ginny. And as luck would have it, he did. She had been at a study group and hadn't been able to watch the practice, and he was a bit surprised to find her here.

Silently creeping up, Harry jumped over the back of the couch she was sitting on, landing right beside her. Ginny nearly fainted from the fright he gave her.

"Harry!" she yelled, clutching her chest and breathing heavily, the book she'd been reading falling to the floor. "Don't do that!" She smacked him on the arm, a little harder than could be considered playful.

"I'm sorry," he said, biting his tongue to control his laughter. "I didn't mean to scare you so bad."

"Its alright," Ginny said after a moment, her breathing slowly returning to normal. "Just don't _ever_ do it again."

"Okay," Harry told her, nodding, and still fighting back laughter. After a moment, Ginny bent down to grab her book. Harry wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she read, gently rubbing her neck. Soon, he was massaging her shoulders with both hands as she read.

"You're tense," he said, concentrating his efforts on the back rub.

"Well, you try being scared silly, and then you can tell me how you fell," she replied simply as she turned a page in her book. Harry pushed her hair out of the way and placed a gentle kiss on the back of her neck. As he continued the massage, he coupled it with soft kisses every now and then. Before long, it was more kisses than massage.

Ginny tilted her head to grant him better access, her book now laying forgotten on the couch. Harry kissed and licked and sucked on her neck, not realizing the pressure he was using. When he pulled back, he was a little shocked at the appearance of a red mark on Ginny's neck that did not fade.

"Um, Gin?" he said sheepishly.

"What is it, Harry?" Ginny asked, turning around to face him.

"Uh, well…," Harry said, conjuring a mirror and handing it to her. Harry tapped the side of her neck, and Ginny nearly laughed at the sight she saw in the mirror.

"You gave me a hickey?" she asked, a small giggle escaping her lips.

"You aren't mad?"

"Nah," she said, laying back against his chest, "Not over a little love bite. And besides, I can fix it later."

"What, you don't want to fix it now?" Harry asked, surprised.

"No need," Ginny told him, "It's just us right now."

"Alright then," he replied, wrapping his arms around her. Soon enough, they fell asleep, as they usually did when they sat like that, drowning in each other's warmth.

They didn't wake when two people entered the common room a while later. Hermione and George tiptoed over to them, surveying the sleeping couple.

"They look cute, don't they?" Hermione whispered.

"I guess," George said, chuckling. Hermione Summoned a blanket from upstairs, covering them with the soft, cotton material. As she pulled the blanket up further, she noticed something. Looking closer, she broke into a fit of giggles.

"What's the matter?" George asked, looking at his girlfriend with amused interest.

"Look at Ginny's neck," she managed to say, clutching her stomach. George looked closer, spotting the mark on his sister's neck after a moment.

"I guess me and Fred are gonna have to give Harry 'the talk' now," George said, shaking his head.

"What talk?" Hermione asked.

"The 'You-better-not-try-anything-with-my-little-sister-or-I'll-disembowel-you' talk," he informed her seriously.

Hermione looked thoughtful for a moment, and said, "You know, I believe that we are now falling behind in the relationship category."

"What do you mean?" George asked her.

"You've never given me a hickey," she said, shrugging.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to work on that one," he told her, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards his dorm, Harry and Ginny still asleep on the sofa.

******

(A/N- If any of you are getting ideas about what Hermione and George are going to do, TAKE YOUR MINDS OUT OF THE GUTTER!!! Sure, they'll kiss, and Hermione is going to get her hickey, but THAT IS IT! I DO NOT write NC-17 stuff!

We are nearing the end now, and boy is it going to be good. This chapter was kinda short, but I was getting stuck, and that was really just filler. The next chapter is going to be immensely long, and I hope you enjoy it! He, he, he, you're gonna hate me when you read it!

Thank you for reviewing, it really means a lot to me *tear*! To my reviewers since last time:

Tabitha- The Outsiders? Like the book? If it did, I didn't realize it J 

Tracy- I know, not too much Herm/George, but believe me, there will be!

Akuma Angel- I know, don't soaps suck? My grandma always used to make me watch them with her when I was little (Then I learned to crawl to get away from them!)

keepergrl28914- thank you so much! And Monty Python DOES rock!

Alexandra- glad you like her!

Snufalufagus- 1: great name! 2: of course it would make it better!

Maddy- I'm not too sure about that one. I kinda have it all planned out from here, and there won't be too much time for them to break the promise.

JoeBob1379- sorry that we didn't really get reactions to the hickey. Well, from George, technically. Yes, I am from Texas J ! But baseball is kinda cool (Although, if I was an avid fan, my sister and dad would force me to love the Astros!)

Camisole- I know, wouldn't it be great if my George was a real guy? * sigh *

starzinluv- thanks for all three reviews! I know, Ron didn't even see the hickey, but there will be something like that in one of the next few chaps!

HarryPotterFanFicGirl- hey, great foresight! See, he does plan on taking her to Hogsmeade! Okay, so he's planning on telling her on top of the Astronomy Tower, but it still was great (Are you a Divinator? Hee hee)

Okay, if you've been reading my other stuff, I just posted the first chapter in my new Percy/Hermione story, and its gonna be good! Also, go read the Return of the Camping Trip! And the Camping Trip first if you didn't read it yet! Woo hoo!

I've decided to promote one movie a chapter now. This chaps movie: The Emperor's New Groove! It rocks so much! I love it! See it if you haven't!

Next chapter: a sleepover (if your minds are headed in any direction aside from PG, I must once again ask you to GET YOUR FILTHY MINDS AWAY FROM THE GUTTER!), girl talk, Hermione worries, and Gryffindor's first Quidditch match of the year!)


	12. Slumber Parties and Quidditch Matches

Disclaimer- I don't own it, I just like to use the characters for my own, evil pleasure.

Author's Note- Since nobody's gonna care too much about this after they read this chapter, I'll give my movie title now: The Mummy and the Mummy Returns (and the Scorpion King!) They rocked so much, and they are some of my faves! Although I saw Mummy Returns before the Mummy…

****

Hermione's Hero

Chapter 12: Slumber Parties and Quidditch Matches

Hermione, like George, had figured out that she had stopped falling in love, and was there. In love. There was no doubt in her mind that she was in love with George, and it scared her a little. She had never been in love before, and it was all new. Sure, she _loved_ people, like her parents, Harry, Ron, Ginny. But she had never been _in_ love.

A letter to her mother, written hypothetically, of course, had confirmed it. She was nervous about telling him, but she knew that it must be done. Secrets were a bad thing in a relationship, and she didn't want to ruin it like that. If George wanted to break up when she told him, then he wasn't worth falling in love over, anyway. She didn't think he would want to end things, but there was still some doubt in her mind.

Another thing that was bothering her was a little feeling she kept having. That something bad was going to happen. Call it Women's Intuition, call it her Divination skills developing late, but she knew it. She couldn't tell what was going to happen, but the little, nagging feeling kept pulling at her brain.

Hermione stopped and shook her head to clear it, sending her attention back to her Arithmancy book. She looked back up, however, when she heard someone call her name. Angelina and Katie were walking across the library towards her, grinning hugely.

"What's up?" she asked, marking her page.

"Well, we figured that all of us Gryffindor girls have been working really hard lately, and deserve a break," Katie told her.

"What kind of break?"

"A slumber party," Angelina said proudly. "Just girls, fifth year and up."

"And Ginny," Katie added. Ginny also got along well with the older girls, as she wasn't a frilly, prissy girl like the other forth years.

"Sounds cool," Hermione said, nodding. "When is it?"

"Tomorrow night," Angelina said, "So we can have something to relax us before the match Saturday. Ugh, we're playing _Slytherin_."

"Okay, I'll be there," Hermione said.

"Will you help us with the planning?" Katie asked. "You know, decorations and food and stuff."

"Sure," Hermione said, "I'd love to."

"Good, because we _really_ didn't want to have to ask Parvati and Lavender. They'd be all: pink this, mauve that! I mean, just because we're girls doesn't mean that we have to be all… girly," Angelina said. The three of them laughed a bit, before Katie looked at her watch.

"Alright, we've got to get to Quidditch practice before Captain blows his top," she said.

"Honestly, Harry is worse than Oliver was!" Angelina said, grinning. "Okay, so we'll all get everything set up after classes tomorrow, then. Good with you, Mione?"

"That's good with me," she said, smiling. "See you later!"

"Bye," Katie said as she and Angelina headed back out of the library. Hermione began to read again, forcing herself to not concentrate on the slumber party, but found it hard. After a few minutes, though, she got back into it. She didn't hear the footsteps coming towards her about a half hour later.

George quickly sank down in the chair next to hers, clearing his throat. Hermione looked up, seeing the smirk on his face, and nearly laughed. "Sorry, I didn't hear you."

"That's quite alright," he told her, leaning in for a hello kiss. When they finally got done saying 'hi', George asked, "You want to do something tomorrow night?"

"Sorry, I've got plans already," Hermione informed him.

"With who?" he asked curiously.

"There's a slumber party," she informed him, and at the wolfish grin that passed his face, added, "Girls only."

"Aww, but that's no fun!" George complained.

"Maybe not for you," Hermione shot back jokingly.

"Fine," he said, pretending to be hurt, "Us guys will just have a our own party, with no girls allowed!"

"Oh no," she replied dryly, "Whatever shall we do?" George grinned at her sarcasm, leaning his elbow on the table.

"So what exactly do you girls do at these slumber parties? I remember Ginny going to them, coming home all sleep-deprived and giggly."

"Well, we stay up late, tell scary stories, play truth or dare, eat junk food, do facials, fix our hair, gossip, talk about cute boys, and stuff like that. Things we just can't do around you guys," she informed him.

"Intriguing," George said as he scratched his chin, pretending to look thoughtful.

"Yes, well, they're quite fun," Hermione said, closing her book and checking her watch. "You want to go grab some dinner?"

"Alright," George said, helping her up. "Now tell me, exactly _which_ cute boys do you talk about?"

******

The next day, after classes, the Gryffindor girls scrambled around in the sixth years' dorm to get it ready. It was the largest, so they had decided to hold it in there. The girls had streamers, balloons, bags of confetti, and they had even gotten a few cans of Magical Shooting String (just like Muggle Silly String, but for Wizards) from Zonko's.

They had lined up a table with all sorts of junk food, like Bertie Bott's Ever Flavor Beans, bottles and bottles of Butterbeer, Licorice Wands, piles of Chocolate Frogs, plenty of crisps and dips, and tons of others. (A/N- I know, my attempts to sound British by using their food descriptions (I.E. calling chips 'crisps') are really bad, but bear with me, will you?)

"Okay, it looks pretty good in here," Katie said, surveying the room.

"This is gonna be so much fun!" said Casey Winters, a sixth year.

"So everything's ready, then?" Hermione asked.

"Looks like it," Angelina said, grabbing a crisp from a bowl. "Now, we just have to wait."

At 7:00, all the girls gathered around in the sixth years' dorm, just talking and snacking on the junk food. "Okay, why don't we talk about boys?" suggested sixth year Jennifer Davis as she sat down on her bed. The girls all readily agreed.

"Tell us, Ginny," said Katie, "What's it like dating the famous Harry Potter?"

Ginny flushed a bit, and said, "Well, it's not too different than just being his friend. Harry is really sweet, and kind of shy sometimes, and…," she stopped abruptly, grinning at them.

"What?" Alexandra asked.

"Well, he's a really good kisser," Ginny said, beginning to giggle immediately.

"I envy you," Lavender said, sighing, "Seamus tries, but he's just a little too eager sometimes."

"How?" asked Andrea Jameson. This made Parvati, Hermione, and Alexandra laugh loudly. They had often heard of Seamus's problem, and they found it very funny.

"Well," Lavender said, shooting death glares to the three who were still trying to calm down, "He doesn't just start off small, he is already trying to stick his tongue in my mouth before we even make lip contact!" This sent the entire room, even Lavender, laughing.

"Okay, fess up, who else is a good kisser?" asked Serena Matthews. Hermione immediately blushed and looked at the floor.

"Ooh, Hermione, is he?" asked Alicia.

"Yeah," Hermione said, grinning. "George is a bloody brilliant kisser!"

"I think all the Weasley men are," Angelina said, "I _know_ Fred is, and my older sister, Melanie, well, one of her friends went out with both Bill and Charlie, and she said they both kiss good. And Penelope Clearwater, you know, that girl that was a Ravenclaw prefect a couple of years back, she said she saw stars when Percy kissed her."

"What about Ron?" Casey asked, turning to Alexandra.

"He's pretty good," she replied, grinning.

"Well, as appealing as this started out, I think I'm going to be sick," Ginny said, scrunching up her nose.

"Oh, we're sorry, Gin," Katie said, "But you do really have some great brothers."

"Yeah, yeah," Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

"Okay, onto other guys," Serena said.

"Well, my sister Padma," Parvati said, "She knows this other Ravenclaw that dated Draco Malfoy for a while, and she said that Malfoy is a _great_ kisser."

"Ewww!" came the reply from most of the group.

"I find it hard to believe that that slimy git kisses well," Hermione said disgustedly. After about twenty minutes, they had gotten though all of the cute guys at school, and the girls moved on to facials.

After most of the girls had been attacked with the green, slime-like substance, Hermione looked at it warily. "I don't know…" she said, biting her lip. She remembered this part from Muggle sleepovers, and she'd never liked it.

"Oh, relax," Angelina said, sticking a spoon into the bowl. "This stuff is great!"

"Okay…" Hermione said, closing her eyes and expecting the worst. The facemask was warm, not cold like she'd expected, and it didn't sting.

"See, it's not so bad," Alicia said soothingly.

"Yeah, but I'm only keeping it on for a couple of minutes," Hermione told them.

"Don't worry, you only leave it on for about five, and then you rinse it off," Madeline Andrews, a sixth year, said. Hermione was already over the sink at four minutes. She didn't want to leave it on too long and turn out blotchy or anything. When the mask was completely off her face, she liked the results. It was definitely better than the Muggle facials that didn't really do anything at all. Her skin was much softer.

Around nine, the girls decided to play Truth or Dare. "Okay," said Katie, who was to ask first, "Um, Alicia! Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," Alicia said, grinning.

"Okay," said Katie, "I dare you to… oh, I know! Eat a handful of Every Flavor Beans at once!"

"Alright, then," Alicia said, heading to the bowl. She grabbed a nice, large handful and put them all in her mouth at once, grimacing as she chewed and swallowed. "Well, that was absolutely disgusting. Let's see," she said, looking around the circle, "Um, Jennifer."

"Truth," Jennifer said.

"Out of all of the teachers at this school, past or present, who do you think is the cutest?" Alicia asked.

Jennifer thought about that for a moment before saying, "Professor Lupin."

"Yeah, he was pretty cute," said Serena whimsically.

"Okay," Jennifer said, "How about… Parvati."

"Truth," she said simply, shrugging.

"What is the most romantic thing Dean has ever done?"

"Well, when I was sick a couple of weeks ago, he brought me breakfast in bed and wrote me a poem, and then recited it. It was so sweet!" Parvati gushed, making all of the girls sigh and coo. After a moment, she said, "Okay, but back to the game. Angelina."

"Truth," Angelina told her, still smiling about the last question.

"Exactly how _far_ have you gone with Fred?"

Angelina gulped, not meeting anyone's eyes. "You didn't!" said Madeline.

"No, of course not!" Angelina said indignantly, "Well, this one time when we were making out, he kind of…"

"He kind of what?" asked Katie.

"He kind of… felt me up," Angelina replied sheepishly.

"He did!?!" asked Alicia. "Why wasn't I informed of this?"

"Well, it's a little embarrassing!" Angelina said, laughing. After the tumultuous laughter had died down, Angelina picked her victim. "Hermione."

"Dare," Hermione said confidently.

"Alright, I dare you to…" Angelina thought for a moment before saying, "I dare you to go and say something naughty to George, in front of all of the guys."

"What!?!" Hermione shrieked. She hadn't been expecting that!

"You can whisper it to him, if you want," Angelina said.

"Fine," Hermione said through gritted teeth, heading for the door.

"No, wait, you've got to have witnesses," Angelina said, standing up. She grabbed Alicia's arm and hauled her up, the three of them moving towards the boys' dorms. They guys did have their own little shindig going, like George had said they would, in the fifth years' dorm.

"I cannot believe I am doing this," Hermione said, shaking her head. They reached the boys' dorm, where Angelina knocked on the door.

"Come in!" was called from behind the door after a few moments of hearing paper and coins being shuffled around. Alicia opened it and pushed Hermione in, she and Angelina not far behind. Hermione was blushing furiously.

"George, Hermione has something to say to you," Angelina said, pushing Hermione forward again.

"What is it?" asked George, looking at them curiously. The rest of the boys, relieved that it wasn't a teacher, pulled back out the playing cards and coins they had hidden. They were obviously playing poker.

"Could you please come here?" Hermione asked timidly, looking at the floor. George relinquished his seat on Ron's bed and moved towards the girls, stopping in front of Hermione.

"What is it, Mione?" he asked, an eyebrow raised. Hermione put her hands on his shoulders and pulled him down so she could whisper in his ear.

"We're playing truth or dare," Hermione said very quietly, "And I am supposed to say something lewd or vulgar to you, so just pretend like I did, okay?"

George leaned over and whispered back, "Okay, then. Are you girls having a good time?"

"Mostly, except for this stupid dare. And the discussion of who the best kisser is was pretty weird. The girls have all decided that you Weasley men are the best to ever grace Hogwarts," she whispered. At this, George blushed, and Hermione decided that it would do. She kissed him once on the cheek before rushing out of the room.

"What did you say to him?" asked Alicia. "He blushed, so it must have been good."

"I'm not telling," Hermione said as they headed back to the girls' dorms, laughing their heads off.

******

"What was that all about?" asked Lee as George sat back down.

"The girls are playing Truth or Dare," George informed the group, which all rolled their eyes at the mention of the girlish game.

"What was Hermione's dare?" Ron asked as he anted a Knut.

"She was supposed to say something vulgar to me," George told them.

"Ooh, what'd she say?" Fred asked, grinning.

"She just told me to pretend like she was saying something," George told them, looking over his cards. After a moment, he added, "Wait, no, actually, she said they'd been discussing who the best kissers were."

"Who won?" asked sixth year Tobey Marshall.

"The Weasley men," George informed the group, making Fred and Ron grin proudly.

"That's right," Fred said, taking another card. "We are all born with amazing good looks, charm, and the ability to kiss well."

"Sure," Harry said sarcastically.

"Hey, I'm sure if the Weasley men kiss good, then so must the Weasley women," Seamus said, smirking at Harry.

All at once, Fred, George, Ron, and Harry said, "Shut it, Finnigan!"

"What?" he asked innocently. "All I did was make a statement!"

"Seamus you _know_ that it is not a good idea to talk about Ginny like that in front of her brothers and her boyfriend. What kind of an idiot are you?" asked Dean.

"The kind that's seen your girlfriend naked!" Seamus shot back at his best friend. They had friendly quarrels like that all the time.

"Shut up," Dean growled. "You know that was only an accident."

"Yeah, cuz she just _happened_ to be undressing at the exact moment I was looking for Lavender in the girls' dorms!" Seamus said.

"That's right," Dean said, "Cuz you barged in without knocking! I don't have sisters and even I know you don't do that!"

"Shut up," Seamus said, blushing and staring at the ground. The others laughed at them, and went back to their game, all of them talking about the girls.

******

"And then, they heard a creaking noise from below them," Serena said in the girls dorm. After midnight, they had decided to tell scary stories. "_Creak, creak_," Serena continued.

"'Lock the door!' Andie said quietly. Jeremy walked towards the door slowly, so he didn't make any noise. As soon as he flipped the lock, the doorknob began to rattle," Serena told them. Hermione clutched at the pillow underneath her, scared out of her wits.

"After a moment, the handle stopped moving. They didn't hear any noise at all," Serena said, "When suddenly, the sound of running footsteps could be heard and something thudded against the door. And it hit against the door again, and again, and again…" Serena stopped when a knocking was heard on the door.

All of the girls screamed at the top of their lungs, diving for cover underneath beds and behind wardrobes. Hermione looked at Angelina, who had hidden with her behind the bed nearest to the door. Angelina grabbed her hand and they slowly walked towards it, the rest of the girls looking on in fear. Hermione and Angelina pulled out their wands, holding them in front of their bodies, ready for use. Hermione muttered a barely audible 'Alohomora', causing the door to swing open.

The girls all screamed again, but the knocker was not one to be feared. "You nearly scared us to death!" Hermione yelled angrily at George, Fred, and Lee. She had not yet dropped her wand.

"Sorry," George said, raising his hands in defense. "We heard you screaming earlier and we thought we'd come check it out."

Hermione glared at them for a moment before turning to Angelina, her expression changing. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked, now grinning evilly.

"You know, I believe I am," Angelina replied. The two of them linked arms and pointed their wands the boys. At the same time, they said, "Petrificus Totalus!" George, Fred, and Lee fell to the floor, Petrified, with terrified gleams in their eyes. The boys were all Levitated to beds, where the girls decided exactly what to do with them.

"Makeovers," Ginny said wickedly. And the girls set to work. Hermione kneeled on the bed next to George, who was looking at her sadly, attempting his puppy-dog eyes, using the only part of his body that could still move. That look couldn't be pulled off however.

"Sorry," Hermione said, giving him a kiss on his Petrified lips before getting to work on some cosmetic charms. When the girls were finished, the boys looked like low-class streetwalkers. They had been done up with blue, green, and pink eye shadows, dark blush, crimson and maroon shades of lipstick, mascara, eyeliner, different colored nail polishes, and plenty of glitter.

Through the gales of laughter, the girl managed to use the counter-curse on George, Fred, and Lee, all three of them screaming loudly when that happened.

"Get it off, get it off!" Fred yelled. Lee was frantically wiping at his face with his shirt, while George ran into the bathroom in search of tissues. Hermione walked in after him, smirking broadly. George glared at her reflection in the mirror as he rubbed at his face to remove the makeup, that only serving to make her laugh even more.

"You have to admit," Hermione said, "that it was pretty funny."

George rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah, I guess. Although if we had gone through with my original plan and sent Ron instead, this would have been great."

"Come here," she said, noticing his highly unsuccessful attempts at removing the cosmetics from his face. She took the tissue from his hand and wiped at the eye shadow gently, holding one hand under his chin to steady him. When she had removed as much eye makeup as she could without the aid of soap or her wand, she rubbed a clean tissue against his cheeks to remove the blush.

George reached up a hand to touch it to her face as she did this, slowly stroking her cheek. He was looking at her in the same strange way he had after he had caught her when they were going to Hogsmeade, and she still couldn't understand what it meant. George slowly dipped his head and kissed her, the sweet taste of the flavored-lipstick invading Hermione's mouth. She moved her hands to George's hair, his own on the small of her back, pulling her body against his completely. Hermione melted in this moment.

Once the kiss was over, George pulled back, and Hermione couldn't help but giggle. The lipstick was now all around his mouth, and she knew it must be around hers as well.

"Let's try this," Hermione said, laughing as she pulled out her wand. She quickly said a cleansing spell, both of their faces becoming devoid of makeup once again. George quickly checked his face in the mirror for any sign of cosmetics before wrapping an arm around Hermione waist. They exited the bathroom casually, acting as if they hadn't shared an earth shattering kiss moments before.

The other girls were still trying to help Fred and Lee, who were still struggling with tissues. Hermione took out her wand and pointed it at both of them in turn, using the same cleansing spell that she had used on George and herself.

"You guys better get back to the boys' dorms before the others start worrying," Hermione said, grinning.

"I am quite proud of you," George told Hermione. "That was a good prank."

"It was not!" Fred cried, glaring at the girls.

"Come on, if this had been Ron, you'd be laughing your head off," George said logically.

"Yeah, yeah," Lee said grumpily. He and Fred headed for the door, while George turned to Hermione.

"See you in the morning, Mione," he said, giving her a light kiss.

"Night, George," she replied, punctuating the message with another kiss.

"See ya," George called to the room, waving. Hermione sat down on a bed, very pleased with the prank.

"Well," Alicia said, sitting down next to Hermione and placing an arm around her, "I guess we know whom to call the next time we need a little revenge!"

"That was priceless!" Angelina said, sitting on Hermione's other side.

"It's all in a day's work," Hermione told them, smiling from ear to ear.

******

"What took you guys so long?" asked Harry when George, Fred, and Lee got back to the fifth years' dorm.

"What could you have possibly done that took," Seamus said, looking at his watch, "forty minutes?"

They had agreed to not tell the others what had happened in the girls' dorm. "Use your imagination," Fred told him, winking lasciviously. All of the other boys scoffed at this.

"Yeah, like anything actually happened," said John Peters, a sixth year.

"Why couldn't it have?" asked Lee challengingly.

"Maybe something could have happened with you two," Ron said, looking at Fred and Lee, "But Hermione isn't like that. She wouldn't."

"You're right, little brother," George said. "We just hung out with the girls for a bit and mesmerized them with our captivating charm."

"Sure," Dean said, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, we're sorry if you losers can't hold a decent conversation with a girl for more than ten seconds before trying to ram your tongue down her throat," Fred said, looking pointedly at Seamus, who immediately looked at the floor. "But we actually have decent, mature things to say to them," he said, nodding.

"We talk for at least five whole minutes before we try to make out with them," George said, making the whole room crack up.

******

When Hermione woke up the next morning, she was laying on the floor of the sixth year girls' dorm in her sleeping bag. But quite contrary to it being morning, it was 4:00 AM. While that was _technically_ morning, it was far too early to be awake. She silently gathered her sleeping bag and pillows, deciding to head back to her own dorm and sleep in her bed. That floor was murder on her back! She closed the door quietly, noticing a small shock of red around the corner, in the common room.

She crept down the stairs, finding George stretched out on a couch, his head propped up on his hand, staring into the fire. Hermione couldn't help but smile, as he was so cute like that. She walked slowly down the stairs, carrying her pillows and blankets with her.

"Hi," she said quietly. George looked up and saw her, smiling as he did.

"Hey Mione," he said sleepily. He motioned for her to come over to him, which she did eagerly. Hermione stretched out alongside him, resting her head against his shoulder. George placed one of her pillows behind his head, against the arm of the couch. Hermione covered both of them with her sleeping bag, nuzzling her face into his warm shoulder.

"Couldn't sleep?" she asked.

"Do you have any idea how loud Dean Thomas snores?" he asked miserably.

"Aww," Hermione said sympathetically.

"I asked Ron about it and he said they had to put a silencing charm on his bed so they could get some sleep," George told her. Hermione giggled softly, her thumb lazily stroking across his chest. "Why aren't you asleep?"

"I can't sleep on the floor," she said, "It hurts my back."

"Well, maybe we can both get some sleep now," he said closing his eyes. "Night again, Mione."

"Night George," she replied, enjoying the feel of his deep, even breathing beside her. Before long, Hermione and George were both asleep, both dreaming of the other.

They were woken around five hours later, by Harry. "Hey, come on you guys, wake up," he said as he shook George's shoulder.

"Go away," George mumbled incoherently, rolling onto his side, trapping Hermione in between him and the back of the couch, his arms going around her tighter. She still didn't wake, however.

"Come on, George," Harry said, shaking him again. "We've got a match today."

George opened one eye and glared at Harry for a moment before sitting up on the couch. "Fine, I'll get up," he grumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"There you go," Harry said, "We've got a match in a couple of hours. Gotta beat those filthy Slytherins!" George nodded and yawned, waving him off.

"Hermione," George called softly, nudging her shoulder. He placed a soft kiss to her temple. Hermione stirred, her eyes opening slightly.

"Morning," she said, smiling tiredly. George leaned in and gave her a good-morning kiss, gently stroking her hair (A/N- this is where you can really tell you love someone: you don't mind their morning breath!).

When they pulled apart, Hermione decided that she needed to take a shower. She walked up to the fifth years' dorm, quickly showering and dressing in a red blouse to show her support for the Gryffindors, grabbing a red scarf to tie around her neck. She walked towards the sixth years' room, to find that Angelina, Alicia, and Katie had already gotten up and were getting dressed. Hermione hurriedly woke the other girls, helping to clean up when everyone was awake.

She still had an inkling that something bad was going to happen, but she had no idea what. It was eating at her, but she couldn't figure out what it was. She met George, who was sitting with the team downstairs, accompanying them to breakfast.

"Are you okay, Mione?" Ron asked across the table, surveying her with some interest.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she told him, grinning to prove her point. A bit down the table, Ginny was trying to make Harry eat. He never wanted anything before a Quidditch match, and Hermione was glad that Ginny could take over her position on that matter.

Fred and George had always been the exact opposite in that position, as Hermione could now tell Ron was. They ate as much as they could, stuffing their faces all during breakfast.

At 10:30, the entire team headed down towards the locker rooms. Hermione, who was planning on sitting with Ginny and Alexandra, stayed near the entrance to the locker rooms, telling the girls to go on without her and take her omnioculars for her.

Harry and Ron were first out, Harry giving Ron some last minute pointers. "Mione, why aren't you in the stands?" Harry asked, pausing from his talk with Ron, who looked pale underneath his freckles.

"I just need to talk to George is all," she told them. "Good luck, you guys."

"Thanks," Ron said weakly, looking slightly nauseous.

"You'll be spectacular, Ron," Hermione assured him, grinning broadly. Next to come out were Angelina, Alicia, and Katie, who all looked as excited as Harry had.

Fred and George were the last to exit the locker rooms, both talking happily. "Hey, Mione, what's up?" George asked, spotting her right off the bat.

"I just needed to talk to you for a minute," she said. George nodded for Fred to go on, and he looked at Hermione in concern.

"What's wrong?" he asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Will you please be really careful?" she asked suddenly, looking into his eyes.

"Of course I will," George told her with a smile, now stroking her cheek. "Don't worry, I've done this plenty of times before."

"I know, but just be careful," she said again. After a moments thought, she untied her scarf from around her neck and tucked it into the pocket of George's robes.

"I'll be fine," he told her, almost chuckling at her worry. To help alleviate her fears, he pressed his lips firmly to hers. In actuality, George was more nervous than he had been in a while. He was still planning to tell Hermione that he loved her later that evening, while they were stargazing.

"Good luck," Hermione said, giving him an encouraging smile. George quickly trotted off to catch the rest of the team, while Hermione headed towards the stands. Ginny and Alexandra had saved her a seat, but she knew she'd be on her feet most of the game.

A few moments later, Lee Jordan's voice rang out through the stadium. "Hello, and welcome to the first Quidditch match of the season: Gryffindor versus Slytherin!" Hermione watched on as the two teams approached from the opposite sides of the field, Madame Hooch standing in the center of the pitch with the box that contained the Quaffle, Bludgers, and Golden Snitch. George waved up to Hermione and blew her a kiss, as they had been doing since the first practice. Hermione blew one back, grinning as he mimed the action of it hitting his cheek.

"Mount your brooms!" Madam Hooch called, making all fourteen players rise into the air. She let loose the Bludgers, which commenced to fling across the pitch, followed by the Golden Snitch. She grabbed the bright red Quaffle from the box, tossing it high into the air.

"And the game begins!" Lee called, beginning his commentary. Hermione grinned at Alexandra and Ginny as Ron blocked a shot straight off, very proud that he was off to a good start.

Hermione watched the match anxiously, making sure that the Slytherins weren't trying any foul play. She didn't spot any, much to her pleasure. Ron blocked shot after shot, Harry darted around the stadium looking for the Snitch, Angelina, Alicia, and Katie made wonderful plays with the Quaffle, scoring several goals, and George and Fred hit the Bludgers around the stadium with ease.

She cheered on the Gryffindors alongside the others around her, jumping with joy when goals were made or shots blocked. The game was going great, and she cried out happily when she saw Harry darting towards the small glittering Snitch, Malfoy hot on his tail.

Another bit of movement caught her eye, however. George hit a Bludger towards the Slytherin Keeper, swinging with all his might. He didn't notice the other one that swerved around him.

Hermione's brain froze as the Bludger hit George in the stomach. He fell off of his broom, grasping desperately to get a hold on it. The next few moments were played in agonizing slow motion. He couldn't get his broom, Hermione screamed loudly, the crowd gasped, Harry caught the Snitch, and George fell forty feet to the ground, landing with a sickening thud.

******

(A/N- I'm evil, aren't I? Mwahaha! I bet you all hate me now, huh? Well, that's just tough. You're just gonna gave to wait until next time (don't worry, I wouldn't end the story there!)! I thought the slumber party idea was pretty good, and I really liked the whole makeover thing.

Well, fine if you don't want to hear about the other parts of this chapter, then I'm not going to say anything more! Nyah!

Thanks to my reviewers:

marba50- nope, no fighting for Herm and George! He he he!

Synthera- did you like that one? I know, I'm evil…

fanficaholic1377- thank you!

Shocker- I'm working on it… J 

JoeBob1379- Yeah, I just don't see any need for the smut. I mean, Hermione's only 15, and George is 17. The way I've written him, I just don't see him EVER wanting to do something like that with Hermione before she's much older.

HarryPotterFanFicGirl- thanks! Yeah, baby, go Texas!

Veronica*James- hehehehe… Do you hate me now? I'll try to get the next part up soon.

starzinluv- cool, I'll go check out your story. I would have sooner, but my evil ISP decided to not let me on for SIX DAYS!!! They are almost as evil as me…

fanficaholic1377- yeah, sorry about not posting sooner!

Kate- I know, isn't fluff great? Did you mean the Percy/Hermione one? I did post it! I'm putting up the new chap tonight!

Camisole- yeah, it is kinda weird and formal. Thanks for that, I got all giggly writing parts of it. Well, maybe not the end of this chap! Mwahaha!

Next time: What do you think? I mean, if you can't figure it out, well shame on you! … Okay, okay, I'm gonna tell you what happens afterwards, okay? Are you happy now?)


	13. Consolations

Disclaimer- Nope, I don't own it, I'm just borrowing it.

* FIREWORKS * CUE THE MISSION IMPOSSIBLE THEME SONG * Congratulations go out to Hermione Malfoy for my 100th review! I love you so much (and yeah, I'm allowed to say that and nobody should get freaked out because she _is_ my sister, after all). You are so good, and if you'd get me a coke when you read this, I'd really appreciate it! Love you again! * FIREWORKS SLOWLY DIE DOWN * MUSIC SLOWS BEFORE TURNING OFF *

****

Hermione's Hero

Chapter 13: Consolations

For a brief moment, Hermione stood clutching the rail around the stands. She stared at the unmoving figure of George lying on the ground, unable to process anything in her brain. All of a sudden, one thought got through: get to George.

She practically flew down the stairs, arriving mere seconds after the team had gotten to the ground. Hermione ran to George, kneeling down beside him and taking his hand. Fred was already on his other side, staring at him in shock. He was still breathing, but he was completely unconscious. Madame Pomfrey was down beside him in a few moments, followed closely by Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall.

"Let's get him to the infirmary," Madame Pomfrey said. Dumbledore conjured a stretcher and levitated George onto it, and they promptly floated it to the castle, Hermione, Fred, Ron, Ginny, Harry, Alexandra, Alicia, Angelina, and Katie right behind it.

They got George to the hospital wing, where Fred helped Madame Pomfrey change George into hospital pajamas. Madame Pomfrey ordered all people who were not necessary to have out, leaving Fred, Ron, Ginny, Harry, and Hermione. (A/N- I know, I know, Madame Pomfrey probably wouldn't count Harry and Hermione as 'necessary' but this is my story, not yours!) After a few minutes, Dumbledore left to send a letter to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

The bottom line of the situation was that George was unconscious. There was no way of knowing when he'd wake up, or how he'd be doing. All they could do was wait. Hermione, who had been close to tears since she'd seen him fall, refused to let herself cry. She had to be strong.

Ginny and Harry sat near the end of the bed, with Ginny resting her head on Harry's shoulder. Every now and then a few silent tears would work their way out of her eyes, but she made no sound whatsoever. Ron sat next to them, holding the edge of the bed tightly with his eyes closed.

Fred sat to George's left side, leaning back in his chair and staring through George, rather than at him. Hermione was sitting just to George's right, her eyes closed as Ron's were, with George's hand clasped tightly in hers. Everyone was in silence, not uttering a single word.

******

Later that evening, Ron sat in the common room, feeling miserable. He couldn't bring himself to stay with George, as it was a horrible thing to see him like that. George was always so happy, excited, and alive. Now, with him laying in a hospital bed, it seemed to Ron that he was nearly dead. Fred was just as bad. He just continued to sit in the chair by George's bed, staring off into space. He wasn't smiling, nor was he frowning. He just sat there, very expressionless. With both twins out of commission, it could have been a sign of the Apocalypse.

Alexandra came and sat down next to Ron, not quite sure what to do for him. Ron put his arms around her after a moment, pulling her against him. Alexandra hugged him back, resting her chin on the top of his head, gently stroking his hair.

"I'm here for you," she whispered, placing a soft kiss on his hair.

"Thank you," Ron whispered back softly, closing his eyes.

******

The day after the accident, Harry walked into the common room to find Ginny sitting forlornly, staring into the fire. Harry quickly moved over to the chair she was sitting in, positioning himself on the arm.

"Do you want to talk?" Harry asked her, brushing her hair behind her ear. Ginny shook her head sadly, blinking slowly.

"Can I get you anything?" he tried again.

"No thanks," Ginny said, sighing.

"Come here," Harry said, noticing the tears welling in Ginny's eyes. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, saying soothing words in her ear. Ginny let her tears fall, sobbing into Harry's shoulder.

"I'm just so scared," Ginny said softly, "I mean, what if he doesn't wake up? What if he dies?"

"George'll be fine, Gin, don't you worry," Harry said, rocking her slightly. He wasn't too sure himself, but he knew that Ginny wanted to hear that he would be. Harry held Ginny for a half an hour, rubbing her back and giving her small kisses until she fell asleep in his arms.

Hermione came in about twenty minutes later, looking just as awful as she had since the previous day. "Hey Mione," Harry said softly. "Any news?"

"Nothing yet," Hermione told him, heading up the girls staircase. She returned about twenty minutes later, wearing clean robes with her damp hair pulled up into a clip.

"Let us know if anything changes, okay?" Harry asked.

"Will do," Hermione told him, heading back out the portrait hole.

******

(A/N- Aww, so sad! I know, we don't REALLY know what happened to George, in scientific terms, but that's not my bag. I also know that this was really short, but I didn't want to put in what will happen next time in this chapter.

Movie time! Today's movie is: Zoolander! I absolutely LOVE that movie! It's great! If you haven't seen it, well shame on you. Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson rock, as does Will Ferrell!

To my reviewers:

Tracy- I hate the cliffies too, but you've got to have a bit of controversy! It was either this, or something bad in their relationship, and I _really_ didn't want to write _that_!

Kazza- yes, luckily my English teacher, whom I had for both seventh and eighth grades, pounded that into me. Okay, well, maybe not POUND, but she did make us memorize which ones to use.

angelsmelody13- I know, cliffhangers are bad, but if we didn't have them, it would all be just big, fat balls of fluff! While those are good sometimes, we need a little controversy (cuz it feels to empty without me(sorry, I couldn't resist!))

HarryPotterFanFicGirl- Yes, his plans _have_ changed. I'm off to read your story as soon as I post this!

elijahsbaby1981- yeah, I know! Sorry about your being on punishment… I know how bad that can be!

Maddy- tee hee! I _am_ evil, aren't I? I guess I've really earned my nickname of 'Evil Squirrel' (It's a family thing, so don't even go there…)

Rosebud- 'special nursing attention' eh? Naughty Nurse Hermione… hehehe

fanficaholic1377- I know! Will he be okay? Won't he? Alright, so I know how it's turning out, but still!

Nicole- glad to hear that you think I'm cruel * maniacal laugh * Everyone says I'm so sweet and innocent, and I'm glad to see not everyone thinks of me as a little squirrel!

Scalene Tristy- Awww, thank you very much! I'll try to hurry it along!

Camisole- Hehehe! 'Anime style', I like it!

punkyPrincess13- I know, suspense is evil (mwahahaha)

ali weasley- Here it is! Didja like it? Huh, huh, didja?

Hermione Malfoy- alright, thanks mucho! Love ya! And yes, she can beta read if she doesn't puke from the fluff I plan on shoving down her throat! After all, her room is right next to mine, and we share our computer (before anyone thinks anything weird of either of us, she is my SISTER!)

Shenaux- aww, thanx * blush *

Next chapter: everyone is sad, Hermione talks to an unconscious George!)


	14. Remembering

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry Potter, sadly. When I get my death ray working, though…

Early A/N- Sorry to disappoint anyone, but this is the second to last chapter! I know! I'm crying now! Well, almost, anyway. Thanks so much for reviewing, BTW!

****

Hermione's Hero

Chapter 14: Remembering

George was still unconscious three days later. Everyone who knew George was upset, but two in particular were absolutely miserable. Hermione and Fred spent every free moment they had (and even some that they didn't) in the infirmary, just sitting beside George's bed.

Ron visited George for a while every day, spending the rest of his free time with Alexandra. She gave him support and kept his spirits up, and Ron was very grateful that she was there for him.

Alexandra came and sat down with him a few moments later, giving him a small kiss on the cheek. Ron put an arm around her shoulders and leaned back against the arm of the couch, closing his eyes.

"Can I do anything for you, Ron?" she asked quietly.

"Not really, but thanks," he replied, nodding slightly. Alexandra closed her eyes and rested her head on Ron's chest, embracing him gently.

After a while, Alexandra asked, "How is he doing?"

"The same, Ron replied, sighing. "There hasn't been any change. Fred and Hermione are still with him, though."

"'Kay," Alexandra replied, resting her head again. Ron kissed the top of her head, taking in her comforting warmth. It was good to have someone who cared about you in times such as that.

******

Ginny silently rode her broom around the Quidditch pitch, thinking. She liked to fly when she needed to think, as it helped clear her mind and relax her. She was worried immensely by George's condition. She had no idea what was going to happen, and it worried her. Ginny never liked to feel out of control in any situation.

Just as Ginny was preparing to circle a set of goal hoops, a flash of reflected light from across the pitch caught her eye. She looked down to see a raven-haired, bespectacled boyfriend of hers mounting his broom and rising up to meet her.

"Hey," she said loudly, stopping her broom.

Harry leveled out his broom and stopped in front of her, giving her a slight smile. "Trying to think?" he asked, knowing her habits.

"Yeah," she said, nodding.

"Want me to leave you alone?" Harry asked, looking towards the ground.

"Nah, that's okay," she replied, motioning for him to come over, "Come fly with me." Harry nodded and flew beside her, taking care to not go too fast. Ginny wasn't up for any spectacular stunts, she was just flying for the basic head-clearing properties a simple flight had.

Ginny and Harry flew for around an hour, until dinner was served. They quickly stashed their brooms in their dorms in Gryffindor tower, heading down to the Great Hall. Nobody had seen Fred or Hermione in the Great Hall for mealtimes since the accident, and Ginny assumed that they were sneaking food out of the kitchens when they did eat. Both of them were in the infirmary at George's bedside almost constantly, being found there at almost all times, day or night.

Ginny felt especially bad for the two of them. Fred and George were twins, and had an even more special bond than just being siblings. Harry knew something about Hermione that made him even more sorry for her, but he told Ginny that he had promised Hermione he wouldn't tell anyone at all. She understood, as she would've wanted him to keep her secrets to himself.

All Ginny knew was that with George lying unconscious in the infirmary, life was a lot less fun.

******

Hermione sat in her usual chair beside George's bed, thinking about all of the wonderful things there were about him. She could remember in her first year, how she had always thought he was nothing but a lackadaisical slacker, playing pranks all the time. As she had grown to be Ron's friend, she hadn't thought much different of he and Fred, but she knew them a bit better.

In her second year, how he and Fred had tried to cheer Ginny by jumping out from behind statues and suits of armor covered in fur or boils, and how irresponsible she thought it was. Even with those thoughts running through her mind, she had sometimes had a time trying to control her laughter.

When she had been in third year, while fighting with Ron over Scabbers, George had once tried to talk to her about it. She could still remember the conversation very clearly in her mind.

__

"Hermione?" George asked, sitting down beside her in the library.

"What?" she asked angrily, sure he had come to try and make her feel guilty about Scabbers for Ron. "Have you come to yell at me, too?"

"No," he said, taken aback at her anger. "I just wanted to see if you were alright."

"I am perfectly fine, thank you," she said defensively.

"You don't seem fine," George told her.

"Well, I am," Hermione told him, attempting to go back to her book.

"I'm sorry Ron's being such a git," he said, giving her a half-smile. "He's just stubborn. He'll come around, though, don't you worry."

"Thanks, George," she replied sadly.

"How could you tell I was George?" he asked, surprised.

"It's not all that hard," she told him. "You and Fred are just… different."

"I'm impressed," George said, "Even our Mum still mixes us up sometimes." Hermione simply shrugged, returning the grin he was now giving her.

Another memory that still stood out clear in her mind was from her fourth year, at the Yule Ball. She'd had a great time, of course, but there were the few moments she'd shared with George that still puzzled her.

__

Hermione stood looking around the Great Hall, feeling slightly bored. Viktor was off conversing with some of his friends from school, and Harry and Ron were nowhere to be found. She was about to go and get something to drink, just so she'd have something to do, when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, Mione," said George, grinning at her. He was wearing a set of green dress robes that complemented his eyes wonderfully.

"Hey, George," she replied, giving him a smile.

"You look quite lovely tonight," he said, not sounding in the least bit like he was joking.

"Thanks, so do you," she told him quite truthfully. "Er, well, you know, handsome."

"Um, would you like to dance?" he asked, nodding towards the dance floor.

"Oh, sure," she replied, shrugging slightly. George took her hand, and was just about to lead her out onto the dance floor, when Viktor came walking up.

"There you are, Herm-own-ninny," he said in his heavy Bulgarian accent, "There is somevone, I vant you to meet." He took her hand and began to pull her towards the direction he had just come from without so much as a glance to George.

"Sorry, George," Hermione called over her shoulder with an apologetic smile, "Maybe later?"

"Sure," George said, and unreadable expression on his face. Hermione spent the better part of ten minutes trying to figure out what that look had meant.

Hermione had never gotten to dance with George at the Yule Ball, and she had never figured out what that look had meant. She had thought it might have been something of jealously, but she knew, at that time, it most likely wasn't. It had probably been the way Viktor had snubbed him, not even paying attention to the fact that he and Hermione were just about to dance.

The next memory that played its way through Hermione's mind was the day George had saved her life. Funny that he had saved her life when she fell off of a broom, and he had nearly ended his own in the same accident. It was quite ironic (A/N- well, Alanis Morrisette would think so).

Hermione then thought of the wonderful beach party, and the first kiss she had shared with George. She had kissed other guys before him, but her first kiss with him had been so special. Like it was the first kiss that had actually mattered. And, Hermione mused, it really was. Their first date had been a wonderful experience. George had been so sweet and romantic, and Hermione had been surprised to find that behavior in George.

Fred suddenly stood up from his chair on the other side of George's bed, smoothing out his shirt. "I think I'm gonna go write a letter to Mum and Dad," he said, sending a last look at George. "I'll be back in a bit," he told Hermione, heading towards the exit.

"See you later, Fred," Hermione said, nodding. After he left, Hermione closed her eyes and held George's hand to her cheek, placing a soft kiss on the back of it.

Hermione sat in silence for a few moments, staring at George's unmoving face. She remembered something about how people who were unconscious could sometimes be brought back by the sound of a familiar voice. It was worth a shot.

"Hi," Hermione said quietly, stroking his hand with her thumb. "I feel really stupid right now. I mean, I'm talking to an unconscious person here. But who knows, maybe you can hear me wherever you are?"

Hermione chuckled slightly, thinking of George lying out in the sun somewhere in his subconscious, staring out at the ocean and being served drinks by girls in skimpy bikinis. The thought was mildly amusing.

"We've all really missed you," Hermione said, wiping her eyes with one hand. She didn't want to cry. She needed to be strong, to keep everyone else from cracking. That was what she did. Hermione Granger was not one to break down.

"You have no idea how incredibly boring it is around here without you," she told him, knowing how true that was. Hermione knew it would be impossible to stop her tears now.

"Oh, George," she cried weakly, resting her head on the edge of his bed, both hands on her face, wiping at her tears. "I love you so much! I feel so horrible! It hurts so much to see you laying there, looking lifeless. You are always so energetic, and happy, and cheerful; it just breaks my heart to see you like this!" As Hermione was so busy crying and pouring her feelings out to George, she didn't notice the hand that was now slowly stroking her hair.

"I was going to tell you Saturday that I love you, if it hadn't been for that stupid Bludger knocking you off of your broom. I wish you would come back to me, George," she said, continuing in a much calmer tone. "I miss you. I love you."

Hermione continued to sob into the blankets, barely hearing the soft voice from the head of the bed. "I love you, too." Hermione looked up suddenly, her mouth open in shock. George's eyes were opened slightly, and he was still softly caressing her hair.

"George?" she asked meekly, tears still falling down her cheeks.

"That'd be me," he replied weakly, giving her a small smile. Hermione shrieked, throwing her arms around him gently. She placed small kisses all over his face, finally stopping at his lips.

George kissed her back as best as he could, his arms going around her neck and cupping her head. Hermione held George tightly to her as they kissed, conveying all the love that they could in the passionate embrace.

"I love you," Hermione whispered against his lips when they broke the kiss, smiling more than she had in days. Tears still fell from her eyes, but no longer were they tears of sorrow. They were tears of the purest, most tender happiness life could give.

"I love you, too," George said, wiping at the tears falling from her eyes with one hand. All of a sudden, Hermione got her bearings back.

"Madame Pomfrey!" she yelled, pulling away from George. "Madame Pomfrey!"

Madame Pomfrey ran up in a huff, complaining that Hermione was disrupting her patients. When she saw that George was awake, she went into full-gear nurse mode. She quickly took his vitals and rushed off to get Dumbledore. As soon as she left, Hermione kissed George again.

"You have no idea how much we've missed you," she said, gently brushing George's hair away from his face.

"Your concern is certainly appreciated," he told her with a smug grin.

Madame Pomfrey came back right after George spoke, and Hermione remembered her promise to tell everyone when any changes occurred.

"I've got to go get everyone!" she said suddenly.

As she put her hand on the doorknob, George called, "I love you."

"I love you, too," she said, biting her lip. With one last smile to George, she took off, heading quickly to the Gryffindor common room. She burst in through the portrait hole, finding Ron, Ginny, Harry, and Fred sitting around morosely.

"He's awake!" she yelled happily, grinning at them.

"Really?" Fred shouted, jumping up from the chair he was sitting in.

"Yes!" she cried. "Now come on!" The five teenagers quickly took off towards the infirmary, sprinting as fast as their legs could carry them, arriving in half of the usual time. They burst in through the door, not caring about Madame Pomfrey's No-Noise rule.

"George!" yelled everyone but Hermione. Fred practically jumped on top of him, happy to have his other half back. Madame Pomfrey looked very aggrieved to have all of these loud, irritating teenagers disrupting her hospital ward, but she said nothing. After everyone had gotten in their hugs, George pulled Hermione back to him, holding her closely.

"Is there something you guys want to tell us?" Ron asked, grinning at them. Harry and Fred gave knowing looks to the couple, realizing that they had told each other about their true feelings.

Hermione and George looked at each other, smiling sweetly at one another. "We're in love," George told them, pulling Hermione down for a kiss.

"Really?" Ginny asked sweetly, her feminine side taking over completely.

"Yeah," Hermione told her, feeling George's arms tighten their grip.

"Oh my gosh!" Ginny cried, throwing her arms around the both of them. She gave them a bone-crushing hug, forgetting momentarily that George was still recovering from his ordeal.

"Just kill me, why don't ya, Gin?" he asked sarcastically, hugging her back.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, pulling back. She stood next to Harry, surveying the couple. Harry put his arm around her waist, grinning at the expression on her face.

A moment later, Madame Pomfrey came back, Dumbledore right behind her. "Ah, welcome back, Mr. Weasley," he said jovially, approaching the bed. "And I believe congratulations are in order to both you and Miss Granger." At this, Hermione turned red and looked at the bed with a grin.

"Thank you, sir," George said proudly, pulling Hermione closer.

"Well, I believe Madame Pomfrey has things under control here," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling brightly, "I'll send an owl to your parents and let them know that you're doing fine." With that, Dumbledore left, giving them a last smile.

A few minutes later, Madame Pomfrey came in to get everyone out, saying that her patient needed rest.

"Oi, come on, Madame Pomfrey, I've been unconscious for… how long have I been out for?" he asked.

"Six days," Hermione told him, sighing.

"There you go," George said, directing this comment to the overbearing nurse, "Six days of nothing but rest. Can they please stay?"

Madame Pomfrey glared at the group for a few moments, before sighing in a defeated manner. "Alright, Mr. Weasley," she said exasperatedly, "They can stay for just a bit."

"Thank you," George told her, turning his attention back to the group around him. "So tell me," he said, "Exactly what happened at that Quidditch match?"

******

(A/N- YAY!!! Wasn't that so great? I am so glad that I got that written; I was about to go cry if I had to write anymore of the sad stuff!

The whole irony/Alanis Morrisette thing was a play off of Saturday Night Live, in the Weekend Update segment where Tina Fey makes fun of her. Ahh, I love SNL. Also, Sabrina Matthews made fun of her in her Comedy Central Presents special ("It's not ironic, it's _unfortunate_. You just spent four minutes listing things that were _unfortunate_."). Watch both!

Movie Time! Today's movie is: * drum roll * … Rat Race! I love the entire cast, and the happy ending! See it if you haven't.

Also, I have a personal announcement! I don't know if anyone cares, but today, I got to drive! Yay! And I didn't hit anything or drive off the road! It was the first time I've driven (aside from when I drove on my dad's lap), and I did pretty good! Go me!

Anyway, here's to the reviewers:

angelsmelody13- there's some more happy stuff for you!

PunkyPrincess13- Aww, thanks!

Shenaux- I know, sorry for leaving you hanging!

Fanficaholic1377- thanks!

Leeann- hey, what's wrong with the kissing?! Hee hee, thanks!

Camisole- sorry about the tears * sniffle *! Was that better? Happier, anyway?

Tracy- yep, cliffies can always be solved, but sometimes relationship problems can't. I wish they could… * grumble *

Kate- I'd like to see you try and tie me to the car! I can run pretty fast, you know! Hee hee!

loco…vamosargentina- whoo, long name! Nope, no memory loss here!

PracticalPrincess- Aww, thanks!

(no name reviewer)- I'm sorry about the crying! Did that fluff make it better?

kai kai- well, thanks, but it's almost over. Oh, great, now I'm gonna cry! Again!

Snow White- was that a sad awww? If so, maybe the fluff will grant a happy awww!

JoeBob1379- there you are! Didja like it?

Nicole- YAY! Thank you for breaking the rules for me… well, I'm not advocating rule breaking or anything, but I do appreciate it!

Tigerz_Angel- cute name! No, I'd never end it with George dying or something. I don't do the whole angst thing. Well, one part of this new story I'm writing, but not to end it!

Moondust- yeah, I don't review every chapter of something if there are several. Thanks, though!

Next time: Last chapter (* sniffle *); plenty of fluffy goodness!)


	15. True Love

Disclaimer- I really don't own it. I don't know why anyone would think I did.

Early A/N- I just wanted to say thank you to all of the wonderful people who have been reviewing my story. I just checked my reviews, and I have **140**! Isn't that fantastic? Well, for me, anyway. I love you all, and I hope you enjoyed reading fic!

Movie Time- Hello, this is Miss Movie Phone! Hahaha! Anyway, today I'd like to promote a bunch of my favorite movies. Number 1 is Mystery Men, with Ben Stiller (yes, more of him), Janeane Garofalo, William H. Macy, Kel Mitchell, and a whole bunch of other really funny people. Check it out if you haven't, it's a funny movie without a whole bunch of crude humor. Well, there is that one part when Mr. Furious… oh, right, don't spoil the movie!

Movie 2 is Orange County. I love Jack Black, and that's why movie 3 is Shallow Hal! He is absolutely hilarious (and short! I love short people! I'm only, like, 5'3", so any short people are cool in my book! You all get tips! If you don't know what tips are, check out Tenacious D's (that'd be Jack Black's alter ego comedy thingy) Comedy Central specially dealie.

****

Hermione's Hero

Chapter 15: True Love

Madame Pomfrey allowed George to leave the infirmary the day after he woke up. He had finagled the nurse into letting everyone stay after he had woken up, and they all fell asleep around him, Hermione lying next to him on the bed.

He was extremely glad to be back into his normal life. He had always hated the infirmary, with its cold temperatures, plain white décor, and mind numbing smells.

He had hardly let go of Hermione the entire time he'd been awake, and she would rarely stray more than a few feet away from him when he did. He had never felt happier than he did then, with the love of such a wonderful woman. He had been so scared that she wouldn't love him back, and here she was, in love with him already!

A few days after George got back, he was very happy to be going out on a date with Hermione. He had gotten excused from his classes for a couple of days, and he had spent much of that time preparing for his date. He had set up his secret room (A/N- you remember, the one from chapter 8), setting it up meticulously.

George quickly fixed his hair in the bathroom in his dorm, adjusting his dark green dress robes quickly. As he checked over his appearance, Fred walked in, smirking at him.

"What?" George asked, picking a piece of lint off of his robes.

"I am really happy for you," Fred said, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned against a wall.

"Thanks," he replied, moving to stand in front of his brother. "How do I look?" Fred quickly straightened George's robes, giving him a small smile.

"Looking good," Fred told him. "Now go have fun with Hermione."

"What, no wisecracks? I haven't heard one joke from you about my falling in love," George informed him.

"Yeah, well, I know that the time will come when I want you to leave me alone about something like that, so I'm gonna lay off," he said. "And besides, the blackmail still stands, doesn't it?"

"You know it. Thanks, man," George replied.

"Oh, come here," Fred said, opening his arms. They quickly hugged, pulling back with the realization of how unmanly that was.

"Alright, well, enough of that, then," George said, quickly looking around to be sure that nobody had seen them. After a moment, their faces broke into identical grins.

"Go on, then," Fred said, nodding towards the door. George quickly left with a last wave, grabbing the bouquet of flowers he had gotten Hermione from his bedside table. He headed to the common room, where he checked around for Hermione. When he didn't find her, he turned to head up towards the girls' dorms to greet her at her door. When he turned, though, he was quite shocked at what he saw.

Hermione was slowly walking down the stairs in a new set of dress robes. They were a soft lavender color, and were cut more like a gown than robes. They were made of a satin material and hugged her body in all the right places, the skirt flaring out slightly. Her hair was hanging down around her shoulders, perfectly straight and very shiny. Her feet were adorned in what appeared to be high heels made of glass.

"Hello Gorgeous," he said, after he had gained back the power of speech. Hermione blushed slightly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she continued walking. George grabbed her around the waist before she could reach the bottom of the stairs, lifting her up and kissing her thoroughly as he spun her around twice.

"Hi," she replied, staring into his eyes as he set her on the ground. "You look terrific."

"Thanks, so do you. Um, can I ask about the shoes?" he asked, gesturing to her feet. Hermione quickly pulled her dress robes flat against her legs and scowled at the shoes.

"Parvati thought it would be hilarious to give me glass slippers. You know, like in that fairy tale," Hermione said angrily, pulling her wand from a pocket on the side of her robes. She pointed it to her shoes and said, "Finite Incantatem." They immediately changed to plain white high heels.

George then handed her the bouquet of flowers. "These are for you," he said, smiling at her.

"They're beautiful, George. Thank you," she said, hugging him quickly.

"Are you ready?" George asked, extending his arm.

"Certainly," Hermione replied, entwining her arm with his. They quickly made their way through the corridors, not wishing to meet up with anyone so they didn't have to explain the dress robes. Luckily, they didn't. They got to the room a few minutes later, where Hermione gasped.

The room was lit by hundreds of candles suspended in the air, much like the ones in the Great Hall. The desk was set with two plates of roast, mashed potatoes, and green beans, topped with a chocolate cake for dessert. The old students' desks were lined up against a back wall, with plenty of room cleared to dance.

"George, this is wonderful," Hermione said, turning to him. She put her hands on the sides of his face and pulled him down to her, kissing him deeply. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too," George replied softly. Hermione bit her lip and smiled when he said it, giggling lightly.

"That sounds so perfect coming from you," she told him, tightening her hands around his neck.

"It sounds great from you, too," he replied, tracing her jaw with one finger. "Now, let's eat dinner before it gets cold." George helped her to sit down, taking his place in the chair beside her.

They held one of their long, unimportant conversations, talking about everything from Arithmancy class to house-elf rights. George couldn't help but watch Hermione, as she was so ravishing. He still couldn't believe that such a beautiful woman could love him. Him! George Weasley! Hermione was such an intelligent, kind, gorgeous, funny, sweet… well, the list went on and on. And she was all his.

When they finished their dinner, George quickly turned on the wireless, tuning it until he came upon a particular song. "Would you do me the honor of this dance, milady?"

"Certainly," she replied, smiling. George quickly placed his hands against the small of her back while Hermione locked hers behind his neck, leaning her head against his chest.

"I love you, Hermione," George said as they slowly swayed to the music.

"I love you, too, George," Hermione told him. "You remember this song, don't you?"

"That's why I picked it," he told her, "Our first slow dance." George and Hermione locked gazes after a moment, silently telling each other all they needed to know. George dipped his head and kissed Hermione, holding her closely to him. His last coherent thought for quite some time was exactly how much he loved her.

******

"Oh, Haaaarry…" Ginny called, sitting down on the arm of his chair. Harry set down the book he was reading, _Flying With the Cannons_.

"Yes?" he asked, turning to face his girlfriend. Ginny had a certain grin on her face, and it worried him a little.

"What are you doing this evening?" she asked, examining her nails.

"Nothing," he said, quickly adding, "Why?"

"What, can't a girl want to spend a little time with her boyfriend?"

"I guess so," Harry said, still very curious about her behavior.

"Well," she said, putting his book on an end table and settling herself on his lap, "After George's accident, we were all so upset, and you and I didn't spend very much time together."

"Gin, we spent a lot of time together," Harry said before catching the look in her eye. He grinned when he did.

"How about if we get reacquainted?" Ginny asked, running a hand through his hair. She leaned down to kiss him, and he eagerly returned it for a moment. He then realized all of the other people in the common room were a bit of a hindrance.

"Gin, you know I'd love to have a nice snog session right now, but we can't with all of these people around," he said, motioning to the other occupants of the common room.

Ginny thought for a moment, and said, "Isn't Seamus out with Lavender?"

"Um, yeah, I think so," he replied, "But what does that matter?"

"Well," Ginny said, "Ron is out with Alexandra, Dean is off snogging Parvati, and Neville is in detention."

"Yeah…" Harry said, being a bit slow on the uptake.

"Wouldn't that mean that your dorm is empty right now?" she asked pointedly.

"You know, I believe that you're right," he replied, finally catching on.

"Good," she said, "Now go on, and I'll be up there in five minutes."

"Why don't you just come now?"

"The entire reason we aren't making out in the common room is so we don't set a bad example for the young ones, so we can't have them getting naughty ideas about us," she reminded him.

"Okay, I'm going," Harry said, hurriedly dashing up the stairs to his dorm, presumably to make it a bit more presentable before Ginny came up. She was looking forward to a _very_ fun evening with Harry.

******

Ron sat back in the chair he was currently residing in, slightly breathless. Alexandra rested her head on his shoulder, her breathing slightly quickened as well. Of course, they had been snogging, as any self-respecting fifteen-year-old boy would want to do on a date with his girlfriend.

"We should probably be getting back," Alexandra said, turning Ron's hand over to check his watch.

"Yeah, I guess so," Ron replied, sneering at his watch, as if it were the cause of the end of the date.

"Come on," Alexandra said, easing herself off of his lap and taking his hand. Ron pulled himself up, following behind her. They quickly walked out of the Astronomy Tower, heading for the Gryffindor common room. No points could be taken from Gryffindor, as it wasn't curfew yet, but they knew Snape would most likely try to if they were to run into him.

They hurried along to the common room, finding it mostly empty. Ron walked Alexandra up to her room, stopping at the door. "Night, Ron," she said, smiling at him.

"Night, Alex," he replied, giving her a quick goodnight kiss. "See you tomorrow."

"'Kay," she replied, heading into her room with a last smile. Ron trudged back down to the common room, sitting down in a chair nearby Fred. "What's up, little brother?" Fred asked, looking up from his Potions homework.

"Nothing," Ron replied, "Have you seen Harry?"

"Not since lunch," Fred told him. "Probably went to bed early or something."

"Alright, thanks Fred," Ron said, heading up towards his dorm. He walked over to Harry's bed and softly called out, in case he was asleep. The hangings were all drawn shut around Harry's bed. "Harry?" he whispered, getting no response. "Harry, are you awake?" he tried again, to no avail. Ron quietly drew back the curtains around his bed a bit, yelling out loudly at the sight he saw.

"Ginny!" he yelled, flinging the curtains open completely. Ginny and Harry were lying on Harry's bed, Harry slightly on top of her. They had been kissing very enthusiastically, and were both flushed from the efforts.

Ginny rolled her eyes as she moved out from underneath Harry, sighing heavily. "Ron, will you grow up? Honestly!" Ron simply glared at both Ginny and Harry, who was cowering down on his bed, trying his best to put some distance between he and Ron.

"I'm going to bed," Ginny said exasperatedly. "Good night." She gave Harry a quick kiss before storming out of the dormitory, slamming the door behind her. Ron flung himself down on his bed, muttering under his breath.

After a few moments, Harry tried to speak. "Are you mad?" he asked timidly.

Ron sighed, and said, "No, not really. It's just a bit shocking to see your little sister like that."

"Sorry," Harry said sheepishly, staring at the floor.

"Ah, don't worry about it," Ron said, "I trust you to not take advantage of Ginny. "

"Thanks," Harry told him in relief.

"Ah," Ron said, shrugging. "Come on, let's go have a game of chess."

"Gladly," Harry replied, smiling.

******

Hermione smiled as she snuggled down into George's arms. She was sitting in the common room with George (of course), Harry, Ginny, Ron, Alexandra, Fred, Angelina, Lee, and Alicia.

The group was all talking and making plenty of noise, but Hermione stayed quiet, as did George. Both were content to just sit there and listen to their friends, reveling in the tender moment they were sharing.

It was Christmas Eve at Hogwarts, and it was very picturesque all around. The group of teenagers were the only Gryffindors left, a fact that they were very happy about. It was hard to enjoy the Christmas cheer with little first and second years running about.

After a while of listening to the conversations around them, George asked, "Would you like to take a walk?"

"Sure," Hermione replied, smiling.

"Go get your cloak," he said, nodding in the general direction of her dormitory.

As they stood up, Fred asked jokingly, "And exactly where do you two think you are going?"

"We're gonna go for a walk," George informed him.

"A walk, eh?" Ron asked, nodding knowingly.

"Yeah, you know, the thing where you put one foot in front of the other and go to different places," Hermione said sarcastically. She quickly jogged up the stairs to her dorm and got her warmest cloak, opting to change into some warmer shoes as well. She met George, who had also gotten his cloak, in the common room.

"Have fun," Harry said, winking at them. Hermione made a face at him before she and George left the common room. They walked around the grounds, admiring the beauty of the snow-covered landscape. George had his arm around her waist, in a very successful attempt to keep her warm.

They stopped in front of the lake, admiring the reflection of the quarter-moon. "It's beautiful, huh?" Hermione asked as she watched the water.

"Not nearly as beautiful as you," George replied, intently staring at Hermione instead.

"Oh, George…," she said, blushing slightly.

"Really," he replied, placing his hand under her chin and turning her face to him. "You are absolutely gorgeous."

"Thank you," she replied shyly, "You are quite handsome yourself."

"Well, I knew that…," he replied jokingly, setting his jaw and attempting to look like one of the guys on the covers of romance novels.

"Okay, Fabio," Hermione said, giggling slightly.

George abandoned his attempts as he wrapped both arms around Hermione and pulled her closer against him. "I love you," he said sincerely.

"I love you, too," Hermione told him, looking into his eyes. George leaned down and kissed her, conveying every ounce of love, passion, desire, and emotion he felt for her, Hermione sending back very much the same message. She knew that she had found her true love.

****

The End

******

(A/N- Okay, break out the tissues! I love happy endings, and that was one of the happiest I have ever done. So sweet…

Tell me, does anyone smell that? * sniff * Does it smell like… a sequel? Hmm, maybe!

Thanks go out to my reviewers:

Rosebud- Thanks!

deemarie- Don't worry, just read chapter 14. Which, if you're reading this you probably did… well, ff.net messes up sometimes with me, and I know that I can read an updated story and go back a few minutes later and they won't let me. Evil site… (TO THE FF.NET PEOPLE: I'M ONLY JOKING!!! I LOVE YOU!!! DON'T HURT ME!!!)

kai kai- aww, thanks! Hopefully you'll enjoy my other stuff, too.

Alizee- hope you can update soon! And thank you, too!

No Named- well, I still don't like to make people cry (well, maybe my sister…), but if it's from happiness, I guess that's okay

Camisole- don't worry, that's not the last you'll see of Gwen in the Fred/George and Hermione section! MWAHAHA, they'll never get rid of me! And I agree, the announcement was a bit weird.

Alexandra- now, I don't want any parents reading this and thinking that I'm perverting their children, or anything. What I meant by 'felt up', so to speak, I meant that Fred kinda stuck his hand under her shirt and, um, touched certain things. Nope, can't say it's ever happened to me personally. And don't worry about not knowing what it means, I've just got two older sisters who have perverted me pretty badly. Well, not so badly, but I still think I know FAR too much for a fifteen year old.

Alexis- well, I don't know that I'm _talented_ * blush *. Thank you very much!

PunkyPrincess13- on the whole 'Hermione's parents' issue: we'll get to meet them in… the next story! Yay for sequels!

elijahsbaby1981- fluff is rather wonderful, isn't it? And when are you planning on updating, hmm? Don't keep me waiting too long, now!

HPFFG- see, I used HPFFG! I'm sad about this being finished, too!

Nicole- I DEFINITELY appreciate the diehard ability about internet sneakiness! I hope you didn't get into too much trouble…

PracticalPrincess- glad I could make your day! Thank you!

Mandy Moo- thanks for all four reviews! Wow, your friend's in India? That's cool! The farthest from home I've ever gone was to Louisiana for a couple of days (it's only an eight hour drive!) If ever release a book, which I doubt, because I can never finish things of my own creation, I'll let you know. Though I'd love to do one with my poetry. I might start posting some of it on FF.net.

wickedstepsister- did you really like the plot? I mean, I though that it was okay. Anyway, thank you very much!

starzinluv- aww, thanks! Fluff is a good obsession, no? I'm glad you've enjoyed this, and I really like your story. Every time I go to review, though, my evil ISP starts being, well, evil! I'm going to try and review again in a few. And I'm glad to see someone with my taste in movies for a change! My family shares a few of the movie I like, but not all of them.

angelsmelody13- I feel like I HAVE to write another one! I tried to resist it for a bit, but in my other fics, I kept coming back to George and Hermione being in love. Therefore I think I'll just write the sequel so I can get straight to the fluffy romance parts! Woo hoo!

Again, I want to thank everyone for reading my story (and even more if you review…)! I loved getting to write it, and yes, I am working on the sequel! Yay! Look out for my stuff in the future, cuz I'm not stopping any time soon!

Peace, Love, Harmony, Happiness, and Girl Power,

Gwen Potter)


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